


Ghostbusters II: A New View Point

by PinkGloom



Category: Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Ghostbusters II, I do need to finish updating it sometime..., This story is complete on Fanfiction.net, a few scenes added for character development, follows the story, with OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:58:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGloom/pseuds/PinkGloom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is Ghostbuster II with my own girl OC. Some scenes not from the movie, as it mostly follows my OC throughout the plot. OC/Ray S.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Moments before she had been taking in the sights and sounds of New York city, then she watched as all the cars that had been speeding along, suddenly slam on their brakes and swerve out of the way of something. She ran to the street to get a closer look at what had gone into the road, and it looked like a baby carriage! A bus that couldn't stop, almost hit the carriage, but the carriage stopped dead, avoiding the bus as it drove by; the driver blowing the horn. The carriage did not take off again and the woman, who had been chasing it, was able to pull her baby out to make sure he was alright.

"Oh, Oscar." The woman exclaimed as she held her son.

* * *

"Come to the party. It'll be fun, I promise."

She really didn't believe the lies coming from her sister's mouth but what she heard next made her agree to come.

"We're going to have a catered lunch and a huge marble cake. Oh, and the ghostbusters are coming." Her sister continued.

"Ghostbusters?"

"Yeah, you know those guys who blew up a building while fighting ghosts? They do parties now." Her sister said as if it was the most natural thing in the world to blow up buildings and then preform at birthdays.

"Sure, I guess I can make it. What time?" She was really not interested in the party but more in meeting the ghostbusters. After what she had seen earlier that day, she had some questions.

* * *

Normally she loved kids...but just not these kids. It's amazing what a bit of money and power can do to adolescence. She had only been at her nephew's birthday party for twenty minutes but she was already totally appalled. The kids had not even eaten the cake yet but they were jumping around like they were on sugar highs, while listening to none of the adults. She had tried to intervene but had quickly given up and had retreated to a corner to hide till the ghostbusters came.

She had just arrived in New York the month before and had missed the commotion that had happened five years previous. Of course she had seen them on the news and had heard of all the law suits they had accrued after they blew up a building and the Stay Puft marshmallow man, but she still really wanted to hear a bit of it from them if she could...It just all seemed so ridiculous and far-fetched no matter what anyone said they had seen. But after seeing the baby carriage move on its own the day before, she wanted to believe that others had experienced events that didn't quite make sense.

A male voice, that had hit puberty long before, hit her ears and she knew they had finally arrived.

"How big are they?"

"Um, about four feet?"

Lifting up her head, she watched as as her sister showed in two of the ghostbusters. It was Ray and Winston, she smiled a bit and moved out of the shadows to get a closer view but not close enough to be noticed by the kids or the men.

Clapping her hands to get their attention, her sister tried to get the balls of energy to calm down for a moment. "Hey! Hey! OK, listen up! Listen up! Look who's here!" With a dramatic twist her sister held out her hands in the direction of the two men but it was met with less than excited yells.

She had to admit they tried their best as they came in crouching down to be at the kid's eye level, waving their hands and saying "Hi!" in a happy manner but it still was not enough.

She had to cover up a snort with her hands, this was not exactly what she had been expecting.

"Ah, I thought it was going to be He-Man." Exclaimed a little kid with a yellow hat on.

'Poor guys get no respect...' she thought as she slowly shook her head.

"Yeah!" Chorused in the rest of the kids. Still Winston tried to act cheerful, while Ray could not mask a slight curl to his lip as he surveyed the kids.

"Hey! I know! Why don't we all sit down and we'll have fun!"

As if breaking from a trance, Ray plastered back on the goof smile he had had on before and started to clap like a maniac.

Still the kids were not buying it.

One of the munchkins in a blue shirt approached the guys and she knew that nothing good was about to go down.

"You know, my dad says you guys are full of crap."

She felt a slight intake of breath but she still had to suppress a giggle. God, what was Ray going to do to that poor kid?

But Ray bit his lip and composed himself, as the mother of the kid called out in a scandalized voice, "Jason!"

"What?" He said turning to his mom, in a 'what did I do wrong' voice.

"Well, some people have trouble believing in the paranormal..." But Ray was cut off mid-sentence.

"No, he just says you guys are full of crap and that's why you went out of business."

Ray stared at the little hellion for a long second, before turning his head and a in a mechanical voice said to Winston, "Song."

Winston hit the button of the little stereo they had brought and their theme song started playing. She wasn't quite sure when they had gotten one, but it was pretty catchy. She watched with a grin as the two full grown men started dancing, twirling and clapping in front of the kids. 'You could never pay me enough to do that.' She thought with a shutter.

"Come on everybody!" Her sister started clapping and tried to get the kids to join in but...

_Ghostbusters!_  They started to do a side march and sing along with the music,  _If_ _there's_ _something_ _strange_ _in_ _your_ _neighborhood,_ _who_ _ya_ _gonna_ _call?_

"HE-MAN!" The kids all replied, and it was followed by a chant of "He-Man! He-Man!"

Deflated they stopped dancing and just stared out at the kids, who started to break out into chaos again. 'So much for that.'

"And it don't look good..." They sang in a quiet voice, while turning to looking at each other with a 'why do we do this' expression on their faces.

"Let's go get a beer, alright?." Ray said.

"Yeah." Came Winston's quick reply.

'What? They weren't suppose to leave this fast!' She mentally shouted; she had to stop them. Luckily her sister stopped them before they could get away.

"At least stay for some cake," she said with a guilty expression, "Sorry about all that."

"It's okay, save the lives of millions but hey, who's bitter?" Winston said while turning off the music.

"Come on everybody! Cake time!"

This was met with a thunder of yells and a mass migration to the dinner table. As they all gathered around to sing happy birthday, she strategically placed herself near her target.

'Deep breathes.' She chanted internally as they finished singing happy birthday. She wasn't positive but it looked like the two ghostbusters had only mouthed the song, which made her like them even more.

As the cake got handed out she took a slice from Ray and blurted out, "Thanks! That was a courageous act you guys put on. I hope you normally get received better."

They both looked at each other and Ray said "Yeah, well, beggars can't be choosers I suppose."

"It helps pay the bills." Winston added after taking a bite of cake.

"Where are the others?"

"Who? Venkman and Egon? Off doing their own thing. I couldn't imagine either of them doing this sort of thing." Ray said.

"This can't be the only thing you do. Are you still fighting ghosts?"

At this Winston and Ray burst into laughter. She had figured this might be the reaction she was going to get, but it still surprised her.

"Ray, was it after the fourth or fifth lawsuit that they forbid us to ghostbust?"

"Actually, I believe it was the twentieth. Miss.-..."

"Just call me Sam. It's Samantha but I hate it."

"Sam, believe me, if we could actually do the job we're suppose to do, we would be, but this fair city has decided it to be otherwise."

Winston added an "Amen."

Sam figured it was now or never so she took the plunge, "I actually just got here a month ago. I heard all about what happened and it sounds so interesting! I would love to hear it from the horse's mouth, as they say." She wanted to add the part about seeing the baby carriage move on its own but she decided to leave it out till they had more time to talk.

"There really isn't much to tell. Venkman is more of the story weaver." Winston looked like he had once enjoyed telling the heroic tale but now it had all been ruined for him. Ray on the other hand, shared her enthusiasm.

"It's kind of a long story. Have some time later on in the week? You can come by my shop , it's called Ray's Occult and we'll give you a blow by blow account"

"Sure! I'd love too. What's the address?"

As Ray wrote down the address to his shop on a napkin, Winston went to go collect their money. "Thursday good for you?"

"Yep!" And with glee, Sam took one of the birthday hats off the table, and strung it onto Ray's head.

He looked like he wasn't quite sure what to make of it but he smiled and handed her the napkin.

"Come on Ray, let's get." Winston called, already halfway out the door.

Ray said a hasty "bye!", gave a short wave and was out the door too.

Sam couldn't wait till Thursday.

"Bye, Thank you."

"Call anytime." She heard Winston and Ray call back to her sister before the front door was shut.

* * *

"That's it. I've had it Ray. No more parties." Winston exclaimed as Ray counted the cash he had handed him.

"Here's your share." Ray said with a strange smile, as he handed Winston half the money.

"Hey, don't smile like that. It's disgusting picking up a girl at a kid's birthday party. I think Venkman has rubbed off on you more than we had thought."

Ray looked at Winston in surprise, "It's not a date. Peter is the one who has women asking him out."

"I think you've got that a bit mixed up. It's Venkmen who does the asking."

"Anyway," Winston continued while opening up the back of the Ecto-1, "I'm tired of taking abuse from over privileged nine year olds."

"I know it Z, but we can't quit now the holidays are coming up, it's our best season."

After pulling out the proton pack rack, Winston looked back at Ray with a look of pity and disgust.

"Ray," Winston said while pulling off the birthday party hat from Ray's head,"Man, face it. Ghostbusters doesn't exist. You know those kids won't even remember who we are."

As Winston helped him take off his proton pack, Ray answered. "Ungrateful little yuppie larva and after all we did for this city."

"Yeah, conjured up a hundred foot marshmallow man, blew up the top three floors off a top high rise, ended up getting sued by every state, county and city agency in New York ." Winston said with a flare as he took off his pack and Ray put it in the Ecto-1.

"Yeah, but what a ride." Ray said with a far away look and a head shake, and then he shoved the proton rack back into the car.

 


	2. Ray's Occult

It had only been one day since she had talked to Ray but she was already extremely anxious by the next afternoon. Sam hated to wait for anything and this was something she was looking forward to a lot. Like staying awake the night before a field trip; she had too much nervous energy. She had researched the address Ray had given her right away. Being prone to getting lost, she wanted to make sure that she spent Thursday with Ray and not looking for his bookshop.

Feeling slightly like a stalker, Sam had staked out his bookstore earlier that day. It was next to her work, so she had walked the surrounding area. The shop was in a pretty average shopping strip and the sign on his shop was large and caught one's attention immediately. After Sam saw the sign she didn't think even she would have been able to miss it. Sam's thoughts were filled with what kind of clientele shopped there and what kinds of items Ray sold other than books.

* * *

The skies had darkened and there was a slight drizzle but nothing could extinguish her enthusiasm. Not wanting to seem too excited to show up, she waited until the early afternoon. With a deep breath in and out, plus a quick pat down of her hair, Sam walked into Ray's Occult.

He was hunched over his desk reading a thick book and hadn't noticed her coming in. Sam gave a small smile and walked the few feet to get to the front of the counter he was sitting behind. 'Well, observation isn't his strong point.' She thought as she stood there and he continued to be oblivious to her presence. Sam took those few moments to examine all the weird jars he had behind his desk and the trumpet with the beads hanging off it to the left that was strung to the ceiling, she was going to have to ask him about that one. The small electric Christmas tree on the counter gave the area a little color. Next she examined the man, it was odd seeing him in normal clothes, Sam had even wondered if Ray wore the jumpsuit in his off time too, although she knew it was a silly thought.

Unable to resist, Sam deepened her voice and said "Do you know were I might find some virgins for my ritual? They are so hard to find in New York City."

This caused Ray's head to shot up with a "Wha...?" on his lips but he quickly stopped when he saw Sam's smirking face.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist. It's just this weather has put me in such a good mood and I was feeling goofy. So, what have you been reading with such concentration?"

Sam didn't know Ray well enough, like the boys did, to not ask him this type of question. Ten minutes later she knew more than she had ever thought she would know about 'Tobin's Spirit Guide'. He continued, well rambled really, about all that he had been researching for a friend. Ray looked so happy talking about it that she felt herself getting excited about it too. Although this sort of thing had never really interested her, she knew that if she hung around Ray enough, it would soon.

"May I ask who this friend is? Sounds really...mysterious." Sam wasn't sure what word best fit the situation but she figured 'mysterious' at least didn't sound rude.

Ray thought for a moment about not telling her, but when was she ever going to met Peter to tell him? "Well, her name is Dana Barrett. Her son's carriage mysteriously took off down the road in broad day light. It obviously wasn't a visible apparition but it did have enough kinetic energy to control something fairly large on the physical plane. She had some problems a few years back with ghosts and I think she just wants to make sure it isn't happening again. This is very different from last time though."

Instead of nodding her head and just going 'Ahh...' like he expected her to do, Ray was surprised when she told him she had witnessed it.

"I was there! I didn't see all of it but I saw the end of the carriage moving on its own. It looked like it was being moved by an invisible force because it stopped so that a bus won't run over it. It definitely wasn't just a run away carriage."

Ray looked like Christmas had come early. The next ten minutes Ray asked her all sorts of questions but he quickly realized that there wasn't much more to the story but it was still more than he had known before.

"Yeah, it all happened so fast. I bet the carriage was only moving on its own for a minute or two and moved maybe a couple hundred yards. She didn't look like she had been chasing it for too long."

Ray nodded his head and made a few notes on a scrap piece of paper. He looked like he wanted to say something but was afraid to ask.

"What's up Ray?" Sam pushed the stool she had grabbed, when her feet had started to hurt, closer to the counter. He looked unsure for a second but then couldn't hold it in any longer. "I know I said we would talk about Zuul and everything but I really want to research what happened to Dana with the new information you gave me. I just know it will probably bore you and I don't want to see rude but..."

Instead of looking disappointed, Sam looked even happier. "Can I help? I don't really know much about this stuff but I'd love to help! Have you eaten lunch? Want me to order something, while you look for the books you need?"

Ray looked even happier if possible and Sam realized it was really easy to make his day. Although she had only been there for about an hour she already felt like they were at ease with each other. 'It's always nice to meet people you instantly feel comfortable with.' She thought.

"In all honesty I haven't even eaten breakfast yet. What you in the mood for?" After saying this he feared she may say 'salad' it had been a long time since he had eaten with anyone but the guys.

"Personally, I was thinking Chinese, or pizza. I can always eat pizza, but maybe Chinese, that way you can read and still eat at the same time."

"Chinese sounds like a great idea. There's a great restaurant a few blocks down from here that's delicious. They deliver so order whatever you want when you call, my treat. I'll have some lo mein, egg rolls and the wonton soup. Here's the number for the place, and you can use the red phone. Thanks again!" and like a shot, he was bounding to the back of the shop. 'Maybe it wasn't really 'bounding' but that was more than just a walk.' Sam gave her order a quick thought and than gave the Chinese place a call.

* * *

For the next few hours they helped customers, ate Chinese and researched what had happened to Dana Barrett and her son. Although they did not find much, it was still a pleasant afternoon. Ray was happy to have someone here to bounce ideas off of again. Ray tried to talk to Egon as often as possible but he had been busy lately and Egon was never one to return calls right away. Peter had always been the elusive type even before the big fiasco and Winston had a second part time job that Ray still knew nothing about.

Sam took pleasure in looking though the book shelves while Ray went and looked for more books upstairs. She had never even heard of more than half the books she opened up to look at. She fought the urge to ask Ray about them, she knew that he would answer her questions another time, but for now he was focused on helping Dana. A couple of times the customers coming in gave her weird looks but she greeted them all with a smile and offered to help when she could or to grab Ray from the back or upstairs when she couldn't. He was impressed with her enthusiasm and was surprised that for once his odd hobbies and interests weren't scaring away a normal woman.

As they examined the books they occasionally reached for the same one. The first time it happened and their fingers touched, she gave him an awkward smile with a flush of pink that he hadn't been expecting. The second time he was the one to blush in expectation of her blush, which caused her to avert her eyes with an even bigger blush than the time before. Ray wasn't quite sure what to make out of it.

Sam knew she was being silly by blushing but she felt like a college student studying with a professor she had a crush on. Instead of acting her twenty-seven years she felt nineteen again. He just looked so scholarly with his glasses and pipe plus the sweater vest was almost too much. Ray had a nurturing air around him, as he taught her the basics of ghosts and such, which caused her to glow with a contentment Sam realized she hadn't felt in a long time.

Before they knew it, it was closing time. "Oh my god, it's already seven? Where did the day go?" It was true that the day had been going by fast, but she couldn't believe that she had been at Ray's bookstore for more than five hours.

"Yeah, no kidding. Well time flies when you're having fun." Ray gave her an unsure smile, did she really think what they had been doing was fun?

"Couldn't agree more! But you still owe me a story, buster." Sam called back as she finished putting away the last book.

Ray figured he was probably pushing his luck but he figured he would ask anyway. "Want to come by again tomorrow? Egon is coming by and I'm sure he'd like to met you and talk about what you saw. That is unless you have something else planned?"

"Me, plans? Jcpenney's is only giving me part-time hours even with the holidays and I have yet to met anyone in this city that doesn't weird me out too much to hang with them, excluding you of course." Sam quickly added as she saw his smile waver. "What time you thinking tomorrow?"

"Well, Egon really isn't a morning person, unless he stays up all night, so probably two-ish...? Although you can come earlier if you want." Ray hoped he didn't sound too eager.

"I'll be over at noon with coffee and donuts! Well, it might be too late for donuts but it's never too late for coffee. How do you take it?" Sam asked as she put back on her coat.

"Black for me and if you're going for donuts I'd love a boston crème and pick up a few extra, I'm sure Egon would get mad if we ate them without him." When she gave him a curious look he added, "Even if we finished them hours before he'd still smell them."

Still laughing Sam walked out of the shop while Ray closed up. When they were both finally outside they turned to each other unsure of what to say. After a few silent seconds that stretched out a lot longer than Sam had thought possible she said quickly, "I'll see you tomorrow." She gave a short wave and started to walk off before Ray had the chance to say anything.

* * *

So what you think? I'm trying so hard to keep everyone in character so please let me know what I am doing right or wrong. Thanks for the comments I am surprised to see how many people are interested in my story! But than again who doesn't have a crush on Ray?

 


	3. Ray's Occult 2

Sam was there the next day right on the dot of noon. She brought two cups of large coffee and a dozen donuts. Ray helped open the door for her, unlike the day before he was too excited to read anything. If he was honest with himself he had even forgotten he had promised to see her yesterday, he had been so absorbed with researching ghosts again, but this time seeing Sam had been the only thought in his head. To say he was surprised by this didn't even cover half of it.

"You didn't have to buy a dozen. Egon likes sweets but I've never seen him eat more than six at a time." Ray said as he opened the top of the donuts box and surveyed the lot.

Sam gave a slight laugh, placed the coffees on the counter and tossed off her coat, "Well, I don't know about you but I can easily eat three so I figured you could too."

He thought about this for a second and realized she was right. He had just figured she was going to eat one, maybe she wasn't the normal woman he thought she was. Sam had eaten a fair amount of the Chinese they had ordered yesterday. Ray liked a girl with an appetite, the idea of being 'dainty' around men was something he had never gotten about the fairer sex.

"I don't know about you but I can't drink coffee out of these Styrofoam cups. Want a coffee mug?" Ray took his black coffee and dumped half of it into his ceramic blue and green coffee mug.

"Yeah that sounds great, For some reason I spill more on myself when the drinking hole is smaller." Ray went upstairs to get her a mug and Sam looked around at her surroundings again. There was just so much to look at! She loved a shop that had personality and this one certainly did. Sam started to wonder if Ray's apartment also had this much warmth and oddity about it.

They enjoyed a relative calm in the store but Ray received a few phone calls for items. He usually told her what the phone call had been about because she showed so much interest in it. "It's the coven they just wanted to make sure I had their sage and a few other things for tonight's ritual." Sam looked at him with uncertainty so he added "Nothing like that, it's all really harmless..."

The next phone call he got caused Sam to laugh with unvoiced mirth till Egon arrived. The red phone rang and Ray picked it up with his usual, "Ray's Occult" but his face made an odd look after the speaker on the other side of the line talked.

"You need a what exactly? What book again? 'Magical Paths to Fortune and Power'? But you want to do what with it...?"

It must be something really off the wall to make Ray look like that. But in reality it wasn't the title of the book that Ray was trying to place but the voice of the caller. However Ray couldn't figure it out and after a few more awkward moments he said he would find the book for the customer if they wanted to come in later that afternoon to pick it up. After he hung up the phone, he told Sam what the call had been about.

"It was the weirdest thing, I think I know who the caller was...maybe. He was asking for an aerosol to spray on a Penthouse pet but I'm not sure if he meant a person or not." Ray cocked his head in a weird manner and took another bite of his donut. (Authors note: I found out that this had been a deleted scene in the movie and I figured I would add it. At the bottom of the story I'll have a link to the page.)

"Oh, before Egon arrives let me warn you about a few quirks of his."

"More than what you have?"

Ray looked at Sam unsure and then he busted out into laughter. "I suppose when you say it that way we are all a bit unusual. But Egon is a quiet man and sometimes it may look like he's well, judging you, so don't take offense or let him hurt your feelings. He's a nice guy at heart."

Just as Sam was reassuring him that she wouldn't take his friend's behavior too seriously, the subject of their conversation walked through the door.

Without a word of greeting he simply said "I smell donuts."

* * *

After Egon devoured a bear claw they made their introductions.

"Hi my name's Sam Winthorpe. It's nice to finally meet you." Sam gave him what she hoped was a hardy handshake and she was rewarded with a sticky left hand.

"Egon Spengler. So I take it you are friends with Ray, he mentioned you over the phone. It's not often that we have a female in our company."

Ray looked over his two friends silently hoping that the first encounter was going as well as it looked like it was. "So, Sam, may I ask what you do?" After Egon had asked her that, Ray realized how little he actually knew about her.

"Well, I work part time at Jcpenney but that's only because my promised job fell through. I have degrees in English, Linguists, Psychology and was working on another in Cultural Relations before I had to make this unexpected move to New York. It's been a rocky start but I hope to have things more settled after the holidays." Luckily Sam had been expecting this type of questioning, and had made sure to prepare herself before hand.

"What, if I may ask, made you leave your previous residence and occupation?"

She had been prepared for this too, but she really didn't want to answer it. With a silent prayer that they didn't think less of her or worse, she told them the truth.

"I was a teacher at a local community college in Florida but the principal felt it better if I did some 'extra work' to keep my job," Ray and Egon both raised their eyebrows obviously getting what she meant, "when I said 'no' he kept his word and as they say 'You'll never work in this town again'. My sister lives here in NYC, that's how I met Ray and Winston, at my nephew's birthday party. I really moved all this way because I was promised a job at Columbia University and let's just say it didn't pan out."

Sam averted her eyes and took another sip of her coffee, she knew she shouldn't be acting like this but whenever she thought about the situation she was in it filled her with disgust and anger, something she didn't want the guys to see.

Egon made a slight cough obviously a little uncomfortable with the show of emotions and Ray said with a laugh "Well, look at us! We're down on our luck too but no fear! It will all work out for the best." Ray's smile gave her a small one 'Maybe everything hasn't been that bad.' She thought with a small ray of hope.

"Oh! Sam tell Egon about what you saw with Dana and Oscar."

Sam once again went over what she had seen on the streets of New York a few days previous. Egon continuously nodded his head and put in calculations into a small calculator he drew from his jacket pocket.

After she was finished Egon was quiet for a few moments and then announced he had a book to go search for. When a customer walked in after that, Sam quietly left he and Ray alone to go use the restroom. 'He isn't as out there as I thought he was going to be.' While it was true that Ray kept interesting company, he was a bit unusual himself so this didn't surprise her. Sam suddenly realized that the relationship she had with Ray was taking a different direction than what she had expected. Instead of it being a one time meeting, she felt like they were really beginning to form a friendship. "Time to start reading up on the paranormal." She announced to no one in particular as she finished washing her hands.

* * *

When Sam walked back into the room she heard a new voice, "Ah, perhaps you can help me. I am looking for a love potion aerosol that I could spray on a certain Penthouse pet to obtain her total submission."

Sam watched Ray and Egon both turn to the front door, where a figure of a man was walking in. From the odd request she realized that this had been the caller from earlier that day.

"Hello, Venkman."

"Hi, Pete, how's it going?"

"Hey, well, hi, Egon. How's school? Bet those science chicks really dig that large cranium of yours."

"I think they're more interested in my epididymis."

Sam watched their banter and smiled. 'What a bunch of weird guys.' But she could tell that even after all they had gone through, that the bond they shared was there, in one form or another. She wanted to make sure she was considered 'one of the guys' so that they could all feel comfortable around her too.

With a broad smile, she walked out and made herself known. "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

Peter's charm turned on right away. He slide over to where she was standing and with an outstretched arm quickly introduced himself. "Well, hello. I'm Peter Venkman. Pleasure. Come here often?" With a sly smile he took her hand and held it a moment too long as he shook it.

'Ah, so this was the infamous Peter Venkman.'

Ray took a long drag off his pipe while staring from Peter to Sam. He knew he should have expected his type of behavior from Pete, he always acted like this when a female was involved, but for some reason this irked him more than his slick friend's usual quick advances did.

Sam knew it was better to nib it in the bud, but what she said next not only surprised her but also all the men present. "Well, yes, actually. I was here only yesterday and spent the whole day with Ray. If he isn't sick of me yet, I was planning to do mostly the same tomorrow."

Instead of looking disappointed, Peter only looked from her to Ray with an unreadable expression on his face. "Well, you lose some you win some. Still I hope that we don't become strangers Miss...?"

"It's Winthorpe. Samantha Winthorpe, but please just call me Sam."

"Sam, huh? One moment please."

Peter walked over to Ray, plopped himself down on the stool she had been previously occupying, and said "Ray, let's close this place down so you can buy me a calzone."

"Oh, I really can't do that right now, Pete. I'm working on something. But your book came in!" So she had been correct in guessing who the owner of that mysterious voice had been. "Magical Paths to Fortune and Power."

Ray handed Peter the book, "Thank you" and Peter looked at it with an almost longing stare.

From where Egon was standing next to the books, she heard him say "Good luck with that, Venkman." Peter ignored the comment and just said "Will you put this on my account please?"

Ray didn't even look up from the book he was looking at to say "Sure." Obviously this wasn't the first time Venkman had 'bought' a book. Sam wondered how much Peter really owed on his tab, 'Only a scientist would have a book tab and not a bar one.' Although Sam wasn't sure if he didn't have a bar one too.

Egon thrust a book under Ray's nose and said "Ray, take a look at this."

"Oh, yeah." And Ray grabbed the book from Egon's outstretched hands to take a better look. This peaked Sam's interest so she wandered behind the counter to look behind Ray's shoulders. She heard a slight intake of breath from Ray before she heard Peter inquire as to what Egon was talking about. "What are you guys working on?"

Ray, being the innocence that he was, immediately went to answer Peter's question, "Ah, well, we're just kind of..." before Egon interrupted him by clearing his throat, "...checking something out for an old friend."

Peter wasn't going to take such a cryptic answer "Neat! Who?"

Ray stuttered for a moment before his phone rang and he answered it. "Ray's Occult. Seven on weekdays, midnight on Saturdays. Thank you." But the phone call wasn't long enough for Peter to forget his goal.

Peter lifted Ray's chin up and looked him in the face as he innocently, but firmly, said."Who?" Sam could see that this wasn't going to be pretty.

Egon just wandered around in the background not involving himself in their battle, Sam had a feeling it was often like this. Better for her to just take a sideline seat too.

"Who? Oh, just someone we know."

"Oh."

Ray tried to avoid the question but everyone in the room knew that it wasn't going to end well. Still Sam hadn't been anticipating Peter's reaction.

Taking his hand from Ray's chin, Peter gave a silent nod. Then he stood up from the stool and grabbed both of Ray's ears. Next thing she knew Ray was screaming "Aggh! Aggh!" and Peter was saying in a calm voice, "Who?"

Ray tried, but it was a lost battle. "I can't! No, no, no! No, I can't, I-"

Peter was taking sick demented joy in tormenting Ray, it was funny in a 'I love to punch my younger brother' sort of way.' 'This probably isn't the first time and it won't be the last.' Sam thought.

Peter wiggled Ray's ears some more and said "Yes you can, yes you can! Who?"

"Nobody, Nobody!" She did admire his fortitude, even for a losing battle.

"Can you tell me now?" Peter inquired with a slight finger twist that put more pressure on Ray's ear lobes.

With his last bit of strength Ray whimpered "Aggh! I can't, no, I-"

"Now?"

The battle was won and Ray confessed. "Aggh, Dana Barrett!" Peter's grip slackened and Ray was able to cover his eyes to rub them as his tormenter dropped his arms.

"My Dana Barrett?"

Sam wasn't too surprised to hear the amazement in Peter's voice. She knew the two had once dated, so it only made sense that he was shocked.

Ray continued to rub his ears and silently curse Peter. Normally only his ears would be aching but at the moment his pride was hurt too. How could he be treated like this when there was a girl present? One, that in a slight way, he was trying to impress! 'She probably thinks I'm a total push over now.' He tried to hid his embarrassment by concentrating on the book in front of him even more.

Now that all the commotion was over, Egon walked back over to them. "Well, now that Peter has dragged the information out of you Ray, let's head over to Dana's."

Ray gave a slight nod without looking up from his book.

Egon's eyes caught Sam's and he added, "You better come along too, since you witnessed the event."

Sam nodded her head in obvious enthusiasm. She couldn't wait to see them in action!

* * *

Fanfiction won't let me post a link so it's the IMDb site for Ghostbusters II, under the trivia section.

I'm also watching Ghostbusters II HD on YouTube via MKGhostbusters page!

Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know! I can't wait to start getting to the meat and potatoes of this story.

PS I took Sam's last name from Dan Aykroyd's character in 'Trading Places' I love that movie! Go watch it!

 


	4. Dana's Apartment

They were standing outside the door to Dana's apartment and Sam still wasn't sure if she should really be there or not. For some reason she felt like she was intruding. Sam caught the sleeve of Ray's jacket as he was going to knock and quietly asked so the others won't hear, "Are you sure it's alright I tagged along?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Ray just smiled and knocked on the door.

Sam heard a faint "I'll get it" from inside the apartment and she knew it was too late to turn back, so with her best smile in place she waited. The door opened and the woman she had seen running down the street a few days before was standing there.

"Hi Ray. How good to see you!" Sam watched in slight fascination as they hugged. "Thanks for coming."

Sam giggled slightly as she heard what Ray said next as he walked into the apartment from the friendly embrace. "Hey, no problem. Always glad to help-and hug."

Next Egon walked in and they exchanged a hardy handshake. "Hello, Dana." "Hi, Egon."

"Nice Place." Ray said as he took in the downtown apartment. Dana had moved after everything that had happened at the previous complex and this one looked just as nice, maybe even better.

Egon raised a finger and began to say, "Um..." as Dana went to shut the door. Peter stopped the door with his hand and with a 'thump' he swung it back open. "Well, I know I'm just asking for the big hurt but I thought I'd give us one more chance." Peter said as he walked straight into the apartment. Sam waited patiently at the entrance for her moment to speak but before she could, Ray started confessing to Dana, "He tortured me! He pulled my ears!" As if that made telling Peter everything excusable.

Before Dana could close the door again, Sam cleared her throat and said, "Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Sam." She gave a smile and a wave that felt slightly pathetic.

Dana looked at her for a moment and then looked at Egon for an answer. "She witnessed the event and it made sense to bring her along, so that you both could discuss and compare the occurrence."

This warmed Dana right up to Sam and they were shaking hands a moment later. They heard Pete clear his throat behind them and Dana turned to face him with a, "Hello Peter.". Sam watched as his face took on the 'I'm beyond desirable' look and he answered her in a half sexy growl, "Hello Dana."

Dana and Sam rolled their eyes. Ray asked Dana some basic questions about what had happened and Sam broke in when she had seen the carriage move on its own. Both agreed that it stopped right in the nick of time and that a moment sooner the baby might have gotten run over. It was a comfortable atmosphere and Sam could tell right away that, although Dana was a bit hesitant about having a stranger over, she was really a warm and open person.

After they were done going over a basic outline of the event, Dana asked, "So what would you like to do first?" Egon replied, "We'd like to examine the baby first." No matter where they were going in the apartment, Sam was staying close to Ray. She was considering this her first trip as a paranormal investigator or at least that was what she was telling herself, and she wanted to stay as close to the man with the answers as possible. Although Egon might know more, Sam highly doubted that at this stage of their relationship that she could decipher half of his explanations.

They walked the few feet over to where Dana's nanny was holding Oscar. As Egon and Ray explained what they needed, Dana took the baby and they walked over to the dining room.

"Yeah, and anything associated with the baby. Especially stuffed toys. Things with fabrics and stuffing..."

Egon quickly added, "And we'd like to see the buggy."

All Peter did was turn in the opposite direction and walk away in quiet curiosity. Sam wished she had something to add to the conversation but she really had no idea what they were there to do. Instead she decided to pay close attention to all that Ray and Egon did, said or asked.

"Alright can I put him over here?" and Dana motioned to the dining room table.

But Ray was still concentrating on what they needed to see, to supply her with an answer. "And, uh, wherever he sleeps..."

"Yes."

Egon answered Dana's previous question by pointing to the table, "This will be fine."

There was a blue baby mat on the far side of the table,"This okay?" Ray asked as he took it and spread it over the table. "We'll have to lay him down flat." Ray and Egon took off their jackets while Dana laid Oscar down on the mat. Sam followed suit although she wasn't sure where to place her overcoat, so she just laid it on top of Rays'.

As Dana put her son down, she said in a reassuring voice, "Okay, sweetheart, now they're going to take a look at you." Sam realized Dana must be really worried to allow Ray and Egon permission to examine her baby. Oscar went 'aahh' as a reply. Sam felt a need to chime in too, "Don't worry. I won't let them doing anything...too weird." Dana let out a quiet laugh and she looked slightly relieved.

Egon wasted no time. "A little precursory medical examination." As if no time had passed at all, the two best friends were bouncing ideas off of each other. "What do you say? Gamel and Pross Infancy Acuity Test?" Sam realized very quickly she didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on. All she could do was copy them, so she rolled up her shirt sleeves in anticipation of what was going to happen next.

"Sounds good, we'll finish with an Apgar score." Dana started to look slightly worried after Egon said this. So just to confirm she asked,"It's nothing that's going to hurt him, right?"

Egon and Ray's eyes met and Egon, said with slight hesitation but conviction, "No, no...I don't think so."As soon as Egon had finished saying this, Ray handed him an odd metal device from the bag he had brought. "He'll be fine..." It certainly didn't look harmless...Sam was beginning to wonder how Dana could put so much faith in them. 'Well they are the ghostbusters. Seems like a good enough reason.'

All of a sudden, from the direction that Peter had walked in, there came a noise that sounded like a guitar. They all looked over and saw Peter with the cello over his leg, holding it like a guitar and thumping a few notes out.

Only after Dana had walked away from them did Ray ask Egon in a quiet voice, "You ever done this before?" Sam gave Ray's shoulder a soft whack as she heard Egon's non encouraging of, "On a chimp."

Ignoring Sam's hit Ray continued, "Well, we should probably document this I'll get my hand held recorder out." Egon continued to take tools out of their bag, and Sam walked around to face Oscar. He was such a cute baby!

Sam bent down so her face was near Oscar's and cooed, "Who's a baby? Who's a baby?" at him. Near her left ear she heard Egon say, "I think at this stage of infancy he is not cognate enough as to whether he is a 'baby' or not." Sam sighed inwardly, but said out loud, "I wonder if he knows what a rhetorical question is yet or not too." She heard Ray sniffle a laugh and Egon clear his throat.

"Well, down to business." All three of them bent down around Oscar and Ray turned on the hand held recorder. "Subject is a male Caucasian approximately..." Egon took took the tape measure to the upper part of Oscar's body and did the calculations in his head, "...twenty-four inches." Ray continued, "Twenty-four inches in length. Subject weighs approximately eighteen pounds and is about eight months old. Ocular?"

As Sam watched them examine Oscar she got the funny feeling that they had not seen many babies in their life. 'Ray had looked a little uncomfortable around those kids at the party.' But then she corrected herself because even she, who loved kids, had wanted to strangle some of those brats. She tried not to look too out of place as she just stood there. 'From now on, I need to be more proactive! Show some initiative!' She was not going to ruin her first opportunity to prove herself. For what? She wasn't sure yet, but something was on the horizon and she wanted to be there with them to face it.

* * *

By the time Dana and Peter came back over Ray had the PKE out scanning Oscar and Egon had the oddest contraption on his head that Sam had ever seen.

Peter looked over Egon's shoulder and finished saying, "...Egon,...?" However half way through this question, Egon popped up, "What?" causing the thing around his forehead to barge into Pete's face. Being the scientific man he was, Peter realized it was a stethoscope, so he spoke his question into it. "...What are we doing?" Egon flinched and took it off. "He seems to be fine, Dana."

Dana happily replied, "He's very healthy." Ray continued to scan Oscar throughout all of this not even remotely paying attention as to what was going around him. Sam realized that whenever a ghost or the paranormal was involved, Ray took his work very seriously.

Ray looked up and asked, "When he does sleep, where do you put him?"

"Ah, right around here. I'll show you." Dana moved around the table to go to the nursery, Ray and Sam followed. She heard something about 'stool sample' behind her, and she walked even faster.

 


	5. Oscar's Nursery

It was a cute nursery, not too crowded but very friendly and playful looking. There were some toys strewn about but hey, it was a baby's room. As if she had heard her thoughts, Dana bent down and began to pick toys off the ground. "It's a little messy."

Ray was too busy with the PKE meter already out and simply said, "Well, we don't want to play with anything, we just want to sweep for valences."

Sam wondered what the heck a 'valence' was for a moment and then said, "It's a really nice baby's room! So light and cheerful." Dana gave her a smile from her kneeling position on the floor.

"Hmm, very cheerful. My parents didn't believe in toys." For some reason, no one was that surprised by Egon's statement.

Ray kept the yellow triceratops stuffed animal that he had just scanned under his arm and kept sweeping the room. Egon picked up a rattle and just looked it over, it looked more foreign to him than any test beaker ever had.

As Egon and Ray examined the room, the two women looked at each other. Dana made a slight motion with her head to point outside the nursery door as if to ask 'you here with Peter?' Sam laughed internally, even if she hadn't been interested in Ray from the start, she still didn't think Dr. Venkman was her type. Sam shook her head 'no' and then motioned to Ray with her eyes. Comprehension dawned on Dana's face and she smiled.

A few moments later they heard, "Help! He's gone completely berserk! Help!" from the dining room. It sounded like Peter was playing but Dana rushed out to see what it was anyway. All Egon and Ray did was look at each other and go "Uh-oh." it was a half-hearted sound and Sam was sure that they were used to this sort of behavior from Peter.

Egon took the rattle and shook it close to his ear. Ray asked him, "So you never even had a slinky?"Egon looked at him seriously and said, "We had part of a slinky," he paused reminiscing, "but I straightened it." Ray just shook his head in agreement.

Sam couldn't take it anymore and she began to laugh. Both of the men looked around at her, Sam tried to stop laughing but she couldn't. Everything she had been holding in since they had walked into the apartment came out in gut wrenching laughter. After a few more moments she wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Sorry, I just couldn't take it anymore. Sorry. So, back to business." Ray squinted his eyes at her and Egon just plainly stated, "I'm surprised that you managed to hold it in as long as you did."

Realizing she needed to change the subject quickly, Sam pointed to the PKE meter and asked, "What's that? I heard you call it a PKE meter earlier in the dining room."

In a flash all was forgotten and Ray was in professor mode. "You're right. This is the PKE meter, which stands for 'Psycho Kinetic Energy'. With it, we can locate and measure the PKE byproduct that is emitted by ghosts. It's like a fingerprint; now, see the wings on the sides of it? They raise and lower depending on the amount of PKE they read. Now the screen in the middle gives me my exact readings. Got it?" Sam nodded her head in agreement, she kind-of-sort-of understood. (Authors note: Information for what the PKE meter is and does was taken from the Ghostbusters Wiki page.)

Ray could see her hesitate, so to make her feel better he said, "Hey, no worries. Egon did invent it, so no one expects you to get it the first time around. Tell you what, if you have some spare time later tonight, we can discuss in more detail what the functions of the PKE meter and Giga meter are." Ray looked like a kid who wanted to share his toys. Sam didn't know if she had that much enthusiasm about a night of tutoring but she was looking forward to more time with Ray. "Sure, sounds wonderful." Ray smiled even bigger, if that was possible, and went back to scanning the nursery.

Ray was on his back under the crib when Peter finally walked in, "Nothin'." Ray announced after popping his head out, he sounded mildly disappointed. Egon was sitting on the changing table looking slightly bored, "So what, brainiac?" Sam realized that Venkman was never short on 'witty' remarks.

Egon's reply surprised Sam. "I'd like to run some gynecological tests on the mother." Sam looked to see Ray's reaction, but he didn't seem to really have one. Peter raised his hands and simply stated, "Who won't?" Egon unfazed just said, "Let's check the street." Peter and Egon walked out, and Sam waited for Ray to get out from under the crib. Sam couldn't help but ask, "Is it always like this?" Ray just smiled. "Always."

Hoped you like it! I am looking forward to writing even more :) I have a very strong feeling that I am going to expand the 'montage' from the movie and use a lot of it to expand on Ray and Sam's relationship. Oh, and two words, 'mood slime.' Hope you enjoyed!

 


	6. 1st Avenue

Egon and Ray had their respective PKE and Giga meters out scanning the street while Peter just kind of looked around. Sam began to think if that was all Peter did...look around and seem bored. She supposed he actually 'did' something in the course of his time as a ghostbuster...she was just beginning to wonder what it had been.

When they arrived at 1st Avenue, Dana pointed into the street and said, "It stopped right over there! In the middle of the crosswalk!" With surprise Sam realized they were already there, 'I really need to start learning the layout of this place.'

All of a sudden from her right she heard Peter say, "All right, I can handle this." And with not a care in the world, Dr. Venkman walked right out into New York City traffic. "Hey, Venkman!" Ray tried to call after him, but nothing was going to stop Peter, because he just said, "Hold on!" If he was telling the traffic or Ray to 'Hold on' Sam really wasn't sure.

Cars started to honk at him but this didn't even seem to faze Venkman now that he had a mission. With this, Sam realized why he had been a member of the ghostbusters. Both Ray and Egon could have never done this. Where the other two were a bit more hesitate about this type of thing, Peter went out guns a-blazing'. Whether this was to impress Dana or not, Sam wasn't really sure, but she figured that Peter was probably this way audience or not.

Peter began to make a side ways waving motion with his hand and yell, "We're scientists! Excuse us! Get out of the way!," Everyone began to run behind him so Sam followed suit although she was still surprised about the situation,"Thanks a lot, we gotta do an inquire here. Hold on! Thanks! Appreciate it! Thanks a lot!" Like the parting of the Red Sea, cars moved out of their way, as waved them around.

They stopped right in front of a taxi and the driver shouted at them, "You gonna move out of there or what?" In a matter of fact voice, Peter responded with, "Relax! You're on the meter. Come on, Hey! We're Scientists! Get out of the way!" He continued to wave off traffic, while the other two men bent down to the street with their meters. Sam loved how Dr. Venkman kept using the excuse of 'we're scientists' to move traffic. 'What did being a scientist have to do with walking out into the road?'

Sam looked down at the PKE meter and the Gigameter, both of which were lit up and blinking like crazy. "Those weren't doing that in Oscar's Nursery."

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Ray couldn't even form words he was so excited. "I think we hit the honeypot! There's something brewing under the street," Ray looked back and forth at the PKE meter to Egon, who's mouth was slightly open in obvious glee, "I've got 1118 on the PKE!" From the excitement on both of their faces and in Ray's voice, this was obviously something very important.

"2.5 GEVs on the Gigameter!" Egon looked thrilled beyond belief.

Peter ran over to join them, his directing traffic duties done. Dana asked in a confused voice, "Well, what does that mean?"

Egon and Ray just looked at each other. Egon raised his eyebrows.

* * *

The next half an hour was a whirlwind of activity. After promising Dana that they would get down to the bottom of what was happening, they dropped her off at her apartment and the remaining four of them went back to Ray's Occult.

"Venkman, we can't do that. How many laws would we be breaking?" Ray said. He looked to Sam as if expecting her to agree with him but unfortunately she knew Peter's idea was the only way. "I don't really see you guys having any other options."

Peter just shook his head and with a sigh said, "Ray, come on. How else are we going to figure out what's going on? Just follow my lead, everything will be alright." Egon agreed with him, "He's right. We need to investigate this."

Ray knew when he was defeated so he threw his hands up in surrender. Peter rushed out of the shop saying excitedly, "Be there by seven! I'll get the jack hammer, you guys get the barricades and the clothes!"

Egon looked at Ray. Sam could tell that Egon was about ready to burst with excitement but he was trying his best to maintain a poker face. "I'll bring barricades if you pick up the hard hats and other apparel. Oh, and I'll bring along a containment unit too." Without another word Egon was out the door in a flash.

Ray just hung his head low. Sam could tell Ray was torn between his excitement in finding out what was happening and his desire to not want to break anymore laws, but there looked to be even more on his mind than just that. They stood there in silence for a few minutes until Ray spoke, "Sorry, once again I'm breaking my word." Sam was confused for a moment until she realized he had promised to show her the ghostbuster equipment that night.

"Don't worry! There's always tomorrow. This is important," Sam was slightly embarrassed that he was even worried about it, but happy nonetheless,"I mean, something like this hasn't happened in like five years, right?"

Ray answered her, but still won't met her eyes. "Yeah, I mean this could be anything! Residue left from Zuul or something new, anything really. A world of possibilities but I don't normally make plans and then keep canceling them." After he said this Ray's head bolted up, "Ah! That's right! I've got customers tonight, I can't go out."

Before she knew what she was saying, Sam said. "I'll watch the shop. It's only for a few hours...I mean if you trust me with it." She wasn't sure what was making her do this. He just looked so torn about so many different things, and Sam hated seeing the usually smiling face of Ray look so downtrodden.

He looked at her like he couldn't believe what she was saying. After all that had happened he had been expecting her to storm out. That was how his other relationships had ended, work always seemed to get in the way but he still kept choosing it. He looked at her with a new admiration and he felt the weight he had been carrying lift off his shoulders.

"I can't even begin to thank you enough! This means so much." He went over a few things with her about the shop, handed her the keys and put on his jacket.

Once again they stared at each other, uncertain of what to say. 'Why are our parting so awkward?' Sam wondered. Ray went to grab for the door handle but before he could open the door, Sam grabbed him in a hug. She felt his body stiffen under her touch; it was so different compared to how he had reacted to Dana's hug. She searched for the right words to say. "Just please be careful. All of you, I know you're professionals but I'm still a bit worried." Sam felt him relax a little and lift the hand that wasn't on the door handle around her back in a half-hug.

Ray really wasn't quite sure what to say. Anything he thought of either sounded really cheesy or pathetic. Instead he just gave her a slight reassuring squeeze and lightly brushed his lips over the top most part of her hair. Sam was so distracted by the hug, that she completely missed the feather light kiss. Without a word he walked out.

* * *

Everything went without a hitch. She was able to help, or partially help, every customer. While she waited in between she started reading "Tobin's Spirit Guide" and various other books that sounded interesting. At seven she locked up the store but she couldn't bring herself to leave. For some reason Sam felt a need to stay in the store. Even though Ray had promised they would be careful, Sam was feeling restless. She found herself staring at the phone expecting him to call or just staring off into space wondering how everything was going.

After two hours of waiting, Sam convinced herself, that she was being ridiculous. "What? Am I going to wait all night? He gave me the keys so I could lock up and go home." Finally deciding to leave, Sam pulled on her coat just as the lights flickered off. "Hey! Ah, blackout." But for some reason this one seemed worse than any other one she had been in. She unlocked the door and looked out into the street, there wasn't a single light on anywhere. Slamming and locking the door shut, Sam walked back to the counter. For some reason she just knew it was the guys who had caused the blackout.

She buried her head in her hands, and waited for the call she knew she was going to get.

 


	7. 1st Avenue II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray's POV

Ray had figured he was going to be the one who was going 'down there' but he had still secretly hoped it would have turned out differently. It wasn't that he was afraid or anything...just he didn't like the idea of being suspended god knows how many hundred feet above god knows what was underneath 1st Avenue. He took it like a trooper and allowed Egon and Peter to harness and lower him into the hole they had been jack hammering open.

As he was descending he vaguely wondered what Sam was doing at the shop. He wasn't concerned about her ability to run it, but more that he had asked a person he had barely known for a week to watch it. 'I must be going crazy.' He thought as he tried not to focus on the pipes and dirt he was hitting as he swung down to the bottom of...whatever. He was going to have to make it up to her, that much was certain but what could he do for Sam? 'It has been way too long since I have had to think about this sort of social obligation...' Ray's silent thoughts were cut short when Peter asked, "You all right?", snapping out of his revery Ray remembered why he was there.

"Yeah, I'm good. Speed's good, boys," He moved the head lamp around him and said,"Keep it comin'." Ray looked down beyond his feet but he still really couldn't see anything. 'How deep does this go?' Just before he was starting to get slightly worried, Ray saw it. "We're breaking through." The dirt and grime stopped and a cavern began."I see some light. I'm in some kind of a chamber. There's some tile work..." Whatever Ray was going to say was cut off as he caught sight of "SLIME!"

Peter and Egon could hear him but still couldn't believe their ears. Egon asked in disbelief, "What?"

"It's a river of slime!" Ray still couldn't believe it himself. Was he actually seeing this? He was suspended a few hundred feet over a flowing river of pink slime. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. He thought of Sam and wished she had been there to see their discovery. She would be so excited when she heard!

Once he got over the initial shock, he started looking all around him and reporting what he saw up to Peter and Egon. "There's gotta be 25,000 gallons of it! It's flowing through here like a river!" Ray looked around to try and figure out where he really was, then he caught view of a tile sign on the wall. "Van Horne..." looking to the left side Ray saw another tile sign, he looked back and forth and shouted, "Pneumatic transit. I can't believe it! It's the old pneumatic transit system! It's still here!"

Ray had been so distracted, he didn't realize how close they had lowered him down to the slime. "Okay! Whoa! Whoa! That's good! That's good! Hold me up! Hold me up! That's good!" They stopped him, and although he was still a bit too close for comfort, he wanted to make sure he got a good sample.

He got the trap out and expanded it so that it would reach the slime. "All right," he drew out the word like it had been spoken by a pirate, and added, "let's see if I can get a sample." Although he knew he wasn't leaving without one. He dipped it easily into the slime and the sample was a piece of cake to get. 'Well, that was almost too easy!' Ray thought with a happy satisfied laugh.

He drew in the sample and waited, but no one started lifting him up. Moving around his body so that the line would wiggle to get their attention he said, "Uh, okay, boys? Boys? Pull me up now, alright." Ray looked down and didn't like what he saw. The slime was no longer flat but it looked like waves were starting to pop up around him. The major problem was they were starting to look less like waves and more like tentacles every moment. Grabbing the microphone attached to his helmet he tried to say in a calm voice, "There's some kind of activity going on with this stuff." When the tentacles started to reach out and grab his shoe, all calm shattered and Ray yelled at the top of his lungs, so that the microphone wasn't needed for Egon and Peter to hear him. "Boys! Hey, help! Take me up!"

They started to lift him up quickly but Ray still kept shouting. "Boys! Hey, what's going on up there? Come on! Get me out of this hole!" Ray was so busy flaying about that he paid no attention to what his arms and legs were hitting. "Aggh!" He felt a pipe under his foot and tried to use it to push himself up faster, however it turned out to be an extremely bad idea. A moment later, Ray felt the pipe break and he could see sparks coming out everywhere below him as the broken off piece of pipe fell downward.

* * *

He knew there had been a good chance there would be some bad repercussions for what they had been doing, but Ray didn't think it was going to be jail. Arrested again; Ray wondered how big a file he would have before they were done being ghostbusters. The only good aspect of everything was that once again they were the ghostbusters! That slime proved it! He was more excited than he should have been. However Egon looked just as pleased, so that made Ray feel slightly less guilty.

When they arrived at the station the police unceremoniously threw them in a cell. After the initial excitement wore off, Ray realized the predicament they had really gotten themselves into. The slime had been confiscated, along with their proton packs and just about everything that hadn't been attached to their bodies. Whatever judge got them, it wasn't going to be a pretty sight.

Soon Peter began to yell about having his phone call but it was Ray they gave it too. Maybe it was the fact that he shoved Peter out of the way as soon as the police arrived to open the cell. He needed to call Sam and let her know what had happened. Maybe even ask her to watch the shop the next day. 'At the rate I'm going, soon I'll be her indentured servant.' Ray thought with a sigh. Then an even more depressing thought came to mind, he had no idea what Sam's number was! He could only hope to god that she was still at his shop. 'Yeah, four hours after its been closed...' Ray dialed and prayed.

The phone was picked up on the second ring. The voice coming from the other end was groggy and disoriented sounding. Ray felt a rush of gratitude for it. "Sam, are you okay?" It took a moment but as soon as Sam heard his voice, she was wide awake. "Ray! What happened? Everything went dark! Still is dark or is the breaker blown?...are you guys alright? Where are you?" It all came out in a sting of words and half slurs. Her brain was trying to catch up with her body.

"Well...um, we got arrested." He was expecting her to yell in disbelief or anger but for the second time that day her reaction surprised him. Instead she calmly asked, "What's the bail for you three? I'm coming to get you." Ray was at a loss as to what to say. He made a few squeaking noises before Sam interrupted. "Oh, stop," she said with a laugh, "you knew as well as I did, that this wasn't going to end well. I hope at least you got what you were looking for."

Before Ray could launch into details of their discovery the cop, who had been standing next to him, knocked on the side of the phone and said, "Time's up!" With reluctance Ray and Sam said their good-bye's and Ray walked back to the cell.

* * *

When he was back in, Egon and Pete attacked him with questions.

"What did Winston say?"

"When is he coming to pick us up?"

"Can he make bail?"

For good measure Peter repeated, "When is he coming to pick us up?"

Ray slowly shook his head and told them the truth. "In all honesty, I didn't even think of calling Winston." Ray didn't have a chance to explain further before Egon and Peter attacked him. In between the hitting and yelling, Ray was able to shout to them that Sam was, "Coming to bail us out!"

Egon just looked at him with disbelief etched all over his face. Peter did what he does best and made a smart comment, "That was my love potion aerosol!" Ray ignored him, but what he said did ring true to him. 'Why is she doing all of this?'

They waited for what seemed like an eternity but really it was only a few hours. When a cop approached them and gruffly announced, "You three made bond. Come with me.' It was like it was coming from the lips of an angel.

Ray struggled with what he was going to tell Sam. Was there anything he could tell Sam? But all thoughts, excuses and the like were thrown out of his mind when he finally saw her standing in the middle of the lobby.

Sam was disheveled looking to say the least. Her hair, which was waist long, looked like it was going in every different direction possible. Her coat was buttoned incorrectly and her eyes looked half glazed over. When she saw them her eyes lit up and she yelled, "Ray! Egon! Peter!" and waved.

Leaving the other two behind, Ray ran to her and gave Sam a huge hug. This wasn't something he would normally do, but being exhausted, arrested and stressed, he just did what his body wanted to do without complaint. He felt her return his grip instantly and for some reason that made him feel even better.

Ray felt a tap on his shoulder and a cough, which made him loosen his grip on Sam. Peter said, "I was scared too." And he held his arms open for a hug. Sam just laughed and gave Peter a hug and then she turned to Egon and gave him a hug too. Egon turned slightly red and looked pleasantly baffled. After Sam was done hugging them all she said, "Let's get out of here!" And that's exactly what they did.


	8. The Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an extra chapter for character development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Sam's POV

Sam waited and waited till she couldn't wait any longer. So she decided to take a nap, right after making sure the phone was next to her, so that when they called, she won't have to search around for it. Sleep came more easily than Sam anticipated and what seemed like a minute later the telephone was ringing.

Her hand shot out, grabbed the handle and she put the phone to her ear, she heard the voice from the other line ask. "Sam, are you okay?" All sleepiness was gone in an instant and Sam practically yelled into the microphone,"Ray! What happened? Everything went dark! Still is dark or is the breaker blown?...are you guys alright? Where are you?" Everything she had been thinking about for the last few hours flooded out of her mouth. Although her words were slurred and only half of what she said made sense, Sam needed to get it all out. She had been worried sick!

What Ray said next confirmed her biggest concern. A bit sheepishly he admitted, "We...um, we got arrested." For a moment she wanted to yell and moan but she realized that wouldn't do them any good. Swallowing her nagging words, Sam asked the logical question, "What's the bail for you three? I'm coming to get you." She knew this was the only way. Who else were they going to ask? Not only that but the thought of Ray in jail was more than Sam could stomach. None of them deserved to be locked up.

The other side went quiet and then she heard Ray struggling with something to say. Before he could continue she broke him off mid-stutter, "Oh, stop", the next second Sam was laughing, this was truly turning out to be the strangest day ever,"you knew as well as I did, that this wasn't going to end well. I hope at least you got what you were looking for." At least she wasn't bailing the guy she liked out of jail for robbery, 'Yeah, its only for knocking out all the lights to Manhattan!' Sam wasn't completely positive it had been them but she had little doubt it had been anything else.

With the intake of breath she heard from Ray, Sam knew whatever they had found had been an amazing discovery. But before he could tell her anything, she heard a hollow knocking and a voice she had never heard before say, "Time's up!" She hated how quick their good-bye's had to be, but that only made her put on her coat and get out of the shop quicker.

* * *

She had never posted bail for anyone before so the process took longer than she had wanted. Aside from the fact that she was exhausted, Sam was also worried sick and she felt like every moment longer it took her to bail them out was another moment they were being molested. 'Figuratively, not literally.' Sam kept reminding herself.

Finally when everything was figured out she made her way to the jail. However her conscious was weighing her down. Sam had had to make some tough decisions to make bail and she hoped the boys won't be mad at her for it. She kept trying to tell herself everything was going to be fine but the tears threatened to overflow anyway. After speaking with the clerk and posting their bail, Sam stood in the lobby. She wanted to sit down and wait but her thoughts were so foggy...Sam couldn't focus on anything long enough to do anything.

What seemed like an eternity later, she saw the three slumped figures walk out the connecting doors to where the cells were. All three of them looked just as disheveled as she felt, hair going every which way and their clothes were all wrinkled. But Sam couldn't think of a sight that made her more happy to see.

"Ray! Egon! Peter!" She started to wave her hand and shout their names to get their attention. Although the room wasn't crowded, they seemed to have missed her. However she couldn't have been more wrong. Sam realized this when her eyes connected with Ray's and he began to run to her. Next thing she knew the awkward hug they had shared hours before was nothing like this one. Sam realized he really was a man who was 'glad to hug'.

Everything the two couldn't put into words, they put into the embrace. Sam could feel Ray's worry, fear and relief, while she knew she was conveying the same emotions to him. She realized that no matter what she had to tell Ray that he would understand. Once again the tears almost spilled over but before they could she heard a light cough and Ray loosened his grip. Sam heard Peter say to her, "I was scared too." And then he held his arms open for a hug. It was all just too absurd! She launched herself into Peter's arms and gave him a bear hug. She caught sight of Egon around Peter's arm and she let go of him to give Egon a hug too. Although she knew he wanted the physical comfort far less than the other two, Sam wanted to anyway. When Egon gave her a pat on the back, Sam knew she had made the right choice.

Looking around at all three of them smiling at her, Sam said, "Let's get out of there!" And the next sensation she felt was the crisp winter air on her cheeks.

* * *

Peter was the first to wave good night to them after making plans on what to do later that morning. Although all the planning had consisted of was 'Let's meet tomorrow' with grunts of 'yes'. As they were walking down the street in what Sam thought was a 'wandering' manner she asked, "Ray, Egon, where do you two live?" Once again she was reminded of how little she knew about them.

"Actually we live together at the old Ghostbusters HQ. When the business um, folded, we figured it was financial unsound to buy other housing when the fire station is perfectly roomy." Ray told her with a grin.

However this statement filled Sam with slight dread, now she was going to have to confess to both of them. 'Might as well bite the bullet.' Calming her nerves, Sam stopped dead and said, "I did make bail but it was more than I originally thought." Both men turned to stare at Sam but she continued, "It's not anything too serious. It's just that the little money I had tucked away I had to use." At this Egon and Ray looked horrified, Sam finished, "So until I get some of the money back on Monday or I assume Tuesday, I need a place to stay. My 'apartment' is actually a weekly hotel and I owe rent on Saturday for the upcoming week, which I now don't have. So, what I am trying to ask is, can I stay with you both for a few days?"

She shut her eyes from the whirlwind of words and expressions that were sure to come next. But this time it was Sam's turn to be surprised with what Ray had to say next. "Of course you can stay! There's five beds and more room than you could ever hope for. It lacks a woman's touch but I'm sure you'll find it comfortable. Right, Spengler?" Ray turned to his friend with a wide grin on his face. While Egon didn't look as thrilled, he didn't look repulsed either. "If you are okay with spores, fungus, scientific experiments and paranormal research, I don't see any issues." Sam shook her head 'no' and the three of them walked back to their place of residence.


	9. Saturday Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

When Sam woke up she knew something was wrong. In fact, it all seemed wrong. This wasn't the feel of her sheets, her pajamas or even the smell of her cheap weekly apartment. This smell was more comfortable, the sheets more lived in and the pajamas too big. Slowly Sam opened her eyes and she remembered where she was.

Before, when her eyes were still closed, she had honestly thought it had been a dream but then reality kicked in. Truth can be stranger than fiction and this felt like a defining moment for that saying. Sam had never moved so fast and yet so slow with one man in her entire life. She was sleeping in the same room as him but not the same bed. She was wearing his pajamas, but not because it was the only thing she could find to wear after they had tossed their clothes off in a frenzy.

Sam let all the feeling and emotions flood over her as she laid in bed. 'What was she doing? Did she want a relationship with Ray? Friendship? No.' Sam realized she wanted much more than that and it thrilled her and scared her at the same time. Ray wasn't like any man she had ever met, which also meant none of the usual rules applied. 'Should I leave things as they are or try and help them along? I wonder how he feels about me...' With a sigh, Sam laid in bed and stared at the ceiling looking for the answers she knew she would never find there.

She took a deep breath in of the sheet covering her and the pajama shirt she had on. It smelled like laundry detergent, a slight bit of sweet tobacco and a cologne that she had smelled on Ray before. When he wore it, it seemed sporadic, but she always noticed a difference when he did. Sam hoped, with a slight blush, the smell would cling to her after she had taken off the shirt, it was such a relaxing scent.

With another stretch she quietly lifted the sheet and got out of bed. Taking a quick look around the room she saw Ray and Egon still in bed. 'Well of course they are! The sun hasn't even risen yet.' Sam had always been a morning person. No matter what time she went to bed it always seemed like she was up before the sun was. Sam tip toed over to Ray and softly gazed down at him.

With a stifled giggle she admired the prone form before her. He had flung the sheet half way off himself and his mouth was half open in a soft snore. Sam picked up the blanket and gently put it back on Ray. After a few more confused thoughts, she went to the kitchen.

Egon had not been joking when he had warned her of spores, molds and experiments everywhere. Although after opening the fridge, Sam worried if the spores and molds were mostly to be found in there. Being as quiet as she could Sam started to make coffee. As silly as it sounded she hoped to have a cup and then go back to bed.

After staring at the carton of half and half for a second she finally sniffed it perilously. 'At least this is fresh.'

Even though she was up, Sam was not fully awake by any definition of the word. She was just more going through the motions. She wished she could have turned over and then gone back to sleep but that was just not the way her body worked. With a sigh, Sam went to go sit down on the couch while she waited for the coffee to brew.

* * *

Sam opened her eyes in a flash when she felt a weight next to her. Rubbing her eyes, she opened them to find Ray sitting down next to her with two mugs of coffee. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I had a cup too." He said as he handed her one. With a weak grin Sam accepted the cup and took a sip to cover her surprise. "Did I wake you up? Sorry, I'm a bit of an early riser." Ray shook his head no and said, "No, it was more the smell of coffee. Been years since anyone but me was up early enough to brew the first cup."

Sam let out a nervous laugh and then wondered why she was so tense and nervous. It had been years since she had felt butterflies like this and she had forgotten how to handle it. She felt a blush creep over her cheeks and she took another drink of coffee to try and hid her face with the cup. Once again Ray picked up on her nervousness and he blushed lightly in return.

But instead of the moment becoming awkward, it changed into a pleasant silence. It had been a long time for both of them, since they had shared an experience like this with a member of the opposite sex. Suddenly a honk from a car on the street below broke her out of her revery, and she said, "So, what do you want to do? I mean...what do you plan on doing now?" Ray looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied. "Well, I still have to open the shop at noon, so I suppose Egon and Peter will be meeting me there. You're of course more than welcome to join." Unfortunately, Sam actually had work that afternoon which she told Ray.

Sam saw a slight drop in his smile and she realized that she too would miss Ray when she was at work. He had taken up so much of her life in the last few days and she had adjusted to it so easily. Looking at her wristwatch, Sam saw that it was only seven and that caused her to have a crazy idea. "Ray, do you still like cartoons?" Without a moments hesitation Ray said, "Yeah, I'm a big kid really, I mean other than the obvious." Sam wasn't quite sure what that meant so she left the comment alone for another time. "Want to watch Saturday morning cartoons? It's been awhile but I'm sure they still have some of the older ones on too."

Sam suddenly jumped when Ray let out a hearty laugh. Seeing her confused look, Ray explained. "Considering I'm...a few years older than you I highly doubt we watched the same cartoons on Saturday morning." She had totally forgotten! Sam felt another blush over she cheeks but Ray missed it because he had got up to get the remote off the top of the television. "Let's discover some Saturday morning cartoons together." As he sat down Ray turned on the TV and began to channel surf.

* * *

Slowly they worked their way closer next to one another. It wasn't necessarily a conscious decision but one that was barely even noticed. When she got up to get another cup of coffee for them she sat a bit closer. When he went to grab her a blanket Ray sat so close that their legs were touching. It was so slow and gradual Sam couldn't believe how close they were till Ray put his arm up over the top of the couch. 'It's like those corny moves you see in movies.' Sam thought but to her it was not an unwanted advance.

However as quickly as he put it up, he took it back down again after a stretch. Ray looked around for a moment then got up with a mumbled, "Need to look at something for a moment.", And walked to the equipment that was on the wall behind the couch. Taking a sip of her coffee Sam contemplated a risky move. She didn't want to be too forward but at the same time she craved more. Ray didn't seem like the type to make the first move, but than again neither was she. Sam wondered what it was about Ray that made her want to throw caution to the wind.

Picking up the small throw pillow next to her she did exactly what the name implied and threw it at the back of Ray's head. She had waited till he wasn't touching anything and just had his arms crossed, because the last thing she wanted to do was cause an explosion by hitting him at the wrong time.

With a giggle, she ducked behind the couch and waited for Ray's reaction. Except there wasn't one. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, Sam lifted her head up over the back of the couch only to be greeted with a pillow in the face. While blinking her eyes she heard Ray cracking up.

After her initial shock, Sam picked up another pillow and threw it at Ray but she missed. Meanwhile, Ray had ran up to the couch and picked the two pillows off the ground and threw them at her again in rapid fire. Realizing she was a terrible shoot, Sam took one pillow, stood up on the couch and lightly started to hit him in the head with the it. What happened next Sam had not been expecting at all.

Reaching over the couch Ray picked her up like a sack of potatoes and lifted her over his shoulder. With her legs dangling in the air, Sam heard him say, "Apologize." She could hear the smile in his voice so instead of relenting she started to thump him in the back with the pillow she was still holding onto tightly. Ray backed up from the couch and started to move around in circles. "Say 'Uncle'!" Sam shrieked with slight terror and glee and answered, "Never!" After a few more circles he went to the side of the couch and dumped her onto it.

After taking a moment to stop the spinning in her head, Sam looked up and saw Ray's flushed smiling face. Throwing the pillow one last time she was able to get another face plant. Ray looked at her for a moment before he started to tickle her sides. Sam was vaguely registering how much of him was almost touching her. Taking his arms, Sam jerked Ray forward, which made him fall onto her. She heard him go, "Ump!" as his face met the couch. Sam was alright until she felt Ray exhale onto her neck.

Sam had never known something so simple could feel so good. Ray seemed to realize the placement of their bodies the same second she did. She felt him tense up and a slight hitch when he breathed in. Sam had no idea how to handle the situation, and she had a feeling Ray didn't either.

Luckily neither of them had to think of a solution because they both heard Egon greet them with a, "Good morning." Jumping apart like their bodies were on fire, Ray stood upright like a bolt and Sam slide to the other side of the couch. "Don't let me interrupt." And with that, Egon grabbed some coffee and went back into the shared bedroom.

Ray said a hasty few words that Sam didn't really hear and then took off in the direction of the joined bedroom and shut the door.

Gazing unseeingly at the wall, Sam touched her ear. In the last seconds before Egon had interrupted him, Sam could have sworn Ray had said, barely above a whisper, "You smell good."

* * *


	10. Saturday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit different it bounces around from Sam's POV to Ray's POV. The thought changes are signaled by the lines. Sam first then Ray and so on and so forth. If you find it confusing let me know and I will add headers to the beginning of each thought change.

Work was a blur. She really had no idea what was going on, not that she normally payed that much attention anyway. By the ending of her shift she was more than happy to leave. Sam listlessly walked the streets for an hour. 'Should I go to the firehouse? His shop? Keep myself scarce?' But a little voice in the back of her head said, 'He did invite you over before he knew you had work.' Yeah, but that had also been before the awkward scene we made.

Sam paused and reflected on her thoughts. Looking out over the park she had wandered into, Sam realized this was probably one of the last places she wanted to be, no matter how much it would normally put her at peace. With a final nod to the trees, Sam walked straight to Ray's shop.

* * *

He needed to stop looking at the front door. Dragging his attention to it every five minutes was not going to make her appear faster. 'That only implies that she plans on coming over.' Ray let out a huge sigh and puffed on his pipe. Really he was just chewing on the end, it had gone out a while ago but he just didn't have the focus to relight it. In fact, he had read the same line in the book he was staring at at least three times over and he still wasn't absorbing anything. The words and his thoughts swam around his eyes.

He had invited her over but that was before he knew she had had work. The boys had gone home hours earlier. Egon had lingered after Peter had gone home, but eventually Egon had left to work on some of the theories he had about the slime and the rise in para-energy in that concentrated area. But that was only after they had a slightly embarrassing conversation. 'If you can even call it that.' Ray thought.

"So, Egie, what do you think of Sam?" Ray tried to mention the question in an off handed manner but the look on his best friend's face told him he had failed.

"Really, I think the question you should be asking is what do  _you_ think about Sam?"

And that had been it, end of story. Ray had just stared at Egon in open mouthed surprise and Egon went back to the book he had been reading.

The thought arose for a moment to ask Peter about it but Ray quickly decided against it.

Aggh! Why was he spending so much mental energy on this? He had ghosts to study! Not only that, but subway lines to research, the history of bubblegum colored slime and the upcoming trial to think about! Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Ray focused his mind to the task at hand.

* * *

As Sam quietly opened the door to Ray's Occult, she looked over to the counter to see Ray sitting down with his eyes closed. More than being asleep, he looked like he was concentrating on something really hard. Not wanting to interrupt him, Sam stayed still in the doorway until Ray opened his eyes.

When his eyes finally met her's, he let out a yelp of surprise. With a weak smile, Sam walked over to him and sat down on the stool at the opposite side of the counter. After a tense moment Sam said, "Sorry, in all honest the last thing I was trying to do was scare you. That's why I was waiting until you opened your eyes. My plan failed, huh?" Ray stared at her for a moment, a cross between confusion and thoughtful concentration on his brow. "Well, I really shouldn't have been surprised considering I was waiting for you. How was work?"

Sam rolled her eyes and began to tell Ray about her day. A relaxed calm fell over them and all was normal again. Sam complained about crazy customers and Ray told her about what Egon, Peter and he were going to do for the court date set on Monday.

"Monday? That's the fastest I have ever heard a trial take place!" Sam was honestly shocked by the news. She had thought the day of the trial would be at least a month, if not more away. Did that mean she would be out of the firehouse by Tuesday? As always when she was with Ray, everything was moving too fast.

Ray missed her surprise because he was so disgusted with the thoughts of the upcoming trial. "Even though we're a threat to no one, the court has deemed it advisable to met at the earliest time to hear our case." He couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Sam laid an encouraging hand on his arm and said, "Don't worry, everything will work out for the best. Only a complete moron would think you guys were doing anything to harm anyone."

* * *

When he felt the hand placed on his arm he knew it was only meant as a jester of encouragement, but that did not stop the tingle going up his arm. He remembered how he had told Sam that she 'smelled nice' earlier that day and he let out a small cough as he went to re-pack his pipe and in the process removing his arm from her touch.

What was he doing? He had wanted to touch her all day and here she was, but all he was doing was pushing her away. Well, of course he was. What did he, Ray Stantz, have to offer a woman like her. He was a man who was married to his work. Did he really want to use energy that could be used on experiments and research to pursue a relationship that might be doomed to fail? Hadn't all his past relationships? The old 'crash and burn' that's what they had all been.

Sneaking a look at her from over his glasses, Ray realized he didn't care. He didn't care about the past and he didn't care about science, damn it. Well, he did...just not enough to not try being with a woman one last time. It had to be Sam. She seemed like a woman who could understand him for who he really was. Ray was getting too old for 'the game' and this was it. All or nothing.

* * *

Realizing that Ray was concentrating on some important thought, Sam stayed quiet the entire time he methodically packed his pipe. She was dying to know what he was thinking so earnestly on, but she bit her tongue. Was it the slime? Was it the trial? Was it her? Ah, he was taking way too long!

Focusing her frantic energy on her finger nails, Sam missed the long wistful glaze he gave her. After he had lite his pipe, Ray said,"Yeah, I suppose we weren't trying to hurt anyone but destroying the street like that was selfish in a way. Egon and I just get so excited about what we might discover, that we quite frequently forget about the consequences. Venkman usually just rolls his eyes and comes along for the ride." Sam nodded her head in agreement but she still said, "Personally, I don't blame you. Any of you. I really don't quite know what is happening yet, but I get chills just thinking about it!"

Ray caught the true light and fire in Sam's eyes and he smiled.

* * *

This was the woman he wanted! Needed! He had only seen that look in Egon's eyes and as much as he liked his best friend, it would never be like that. Not wanting to surprise her, Ray began to explain all that he wasn't able to tell her on the phone when he had been in jail. Why hadn't he told her sooner? She knew the general outline but not the details. Why did he always loss his train of thought around her? Normally a person would have been drowning in information by now. Some how they balanced each other out.

* * *

The last time Ray had trapped her in one of his 'rants' she had had no idea what was going on. This time she was prepared, heck, she had been waiting for it. Sam knew that the few days of study she had put in was nothing compared to Ray's long years of application of the art but she still felt less in the dark then before. Soon they were bouncing questions back and forth and making some head way.

"How did the slime get there?"

"A build up of psychic energy? Or was it transported instantaneously there?"

"Was it a 'who' controlling it? Was the slime its own separate entity?"

"Why pink?" Sam got a satisfying roll of the eyes from Ray on that question.

* * *

Some of the questions he had already gone over with Egon and Peter but it was nice having another person to talk it over with. 'Nothing like a fresh view point to make one look at something from a new angle.' Ray thought, as he saw the rapture on Sam's face as a whole new world was opening up to her. He could get used to that expression.


	11. The Court Room

Sunday had gone by in a blur. First she met Louis Tully, a nervous sort of fellow, and also the last member of the Ghostbusters, Winston Zeddemore, who she had not really seen around lately. Louis and the four former Ghostbusters discussed what would probably happen during the trial and none of it sounded good. Sam was pretty sure Louis had no idea what he was talking about and unfortunately none of them could afford a 'real' lawyer. It was all pretty depressing.

* * *

Sam walked into the courtroom with her best smile and suit on. She would put on a brave face for Ray and all of them. No matter what, it would work out. Now if only she could believe it. Her facade nearly broke when she heard the judge speak for the first time. "Before we begin this trial, I want to make one thing very clear. The law does not recognize the existence of ghosts. I don't believe in them either. Don't want to hear a lot of malarkey about goblins and spooks and demons. We're gonna stick to the facts in this case and leave and the ghost stories to the kiddies, understood?"

Winston leaned over the counter and said, "Wow. Sounds like a pretty open-minded guy, huh."

Almost nonchalantly Egon added, "Yeah, they call him 'The Hammer'."

If Sam had been scared for them before, she was terrified now. This was their judge? And almost as if to add icing to the cake, Ray added his two cents. "What can we do? It's all in the hands of our lawyer now." They all turned to look at their 'lawyer' who was walking up to them with two arms up to the pits with books.

As he set them down on the counter before Ray, Peter and Egon; Louis shared this thoughts. "I think you guys are making a huge mistake. I mostly do tax loans and probate stuff occasionally. I got my law degree at night!"

This was the straw that broke the back for Ray's camel because he slumped his head down in defeat after stating. "Well, that's fine Louis. We got arrested at night."

Sam put her hand on Ray's shoulder and gave it encouraging squeeze. Ray's arm flew up and grasped her's, squeezing it in return. Ray's head didn't lift from the table but she doubted if he had the energy for it.

Finally he turned around and his eyes pleaded with hers for a moment. Reaching over the bar, Sam gave Ray a hug while half standing up. While her chest was in his face, by the awkward angle of the hug, she kissed him on the top of the head. As she choked down a sob, the trial began.

* * *

'I wonder what it will be like to date someone in jail? Should I send a cake with a file in it?' Sam knew there was going to be no way out of it. She had hoped before the trial that they would have a nice, understanding judge...no such luck. It was a disaster. From Louis addressing the 'audience' to her finding out they had broken the law by not heeding their restraining order regarding their Ghostbuster equipment.

The only interesting part had been when Sam saw the slime for the first time. Ray looked behind his shoulder at her and smiled. He was proud and excited about it still, even after all the trouble it had given them. Sam gave him an encouraging smile.

However, the revery was broken, when the man being questioned accused them of putting the slime down in the sewers. "Whatever's down there, they must've put it there." Sam was shocked as Ray jumped out of his chair and started to shout "No, we didn't!" She had never seen Ray so enraged before, for awhile she had even wondered if Ray ever got angry. 'He does when his honor and word are questioned.' Sam concluded.

Louis and Egon grabbed at Ray as the judge screamed "Shut up!" and banged his grovel on his desk.

* * *

Watching Peter being questioned by Louis made tears of laughter and worry spring into her eyes. God, none of them had any idea what they were doing! At least he was honest when Peter answered Louis' question of "Do I?", when it came time for Louis to continue asking questions or not. Peter replied with "No, we've helped them out enough already." If that wasn't 'leading the witness', than Sam had no idea what that phrase meant.

Peter did bring a surge of pride to all of them as he was questioned by the prosecuting attorney. He answered her question of why they were digging a hole in 1st avenue with, "There are some things in this world that go way beyond human understanding. Things that cannot be explained. Things that most people don't even want to know about. That is where we come in." Dr. Venkman motioned to Egon and Ray with a look of pride. Sometimes he might act like he didn't care but deep down, he was a Ghostbuster all the way.

Egon and Ray shook their heads at each other in a conceited way. After all that had happened they were still so proud of themselves and what they had done. They would always be Ghostbusters no matter how much trouble or heart ache it gave them.

Sam was quickly reminded what kind of man Peter was as he called the prosecutor a 'kitten.' Sam rolled her eyes in a good-natured way. 'What a heel.' But what came after the 'kitten' comment made Sam respect him again.

"Sometimes, shit happens, someone has to deal with it, and who ya gonna call?"

Knowing Peter was such a roller coaster. Hell, all of them were so unpredictable. Sam cheered with the rest of the courtroom until the judge screamed "Shut up!" He was such a downer.

* * *

"Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, stand up. Get up! You too, Mr. Tully"

Finally it was over. Sam crossed her fingers and hoped for a miracle. However, from the tone of his voice when he had yelled their names, it spelled a bad end for all.

Ray caught a quick glance back at her as he stood up, and she shot him a smile. The look on Ray's face seemed less than hopeful. As he turned his head back to face the judge, Ray realized he had had no reason to worry about a relationship with Sam because from this moment on he was an incarcerated man. He was proved correct as Judge Wexler said "I find you guilty on all charges! I order you to pay fines in the amount of $25,000 each!"

Oh god, this was terrible! Sam buried her face in her hands. This caused her to miss the slime bubble, which Ray did not. However, Sam did see Ray hitting Egon's arm with his own and excitingly saying in a low voice, "Egie, she's twitching." Ray's voice raised in excitement.

'Twitching?' What was Ray going on about at a time like this? Sam was in totally bewildered until she realized what they were looking at. 'The slime! That must have been it. What in the world was going on?'

The guys tried to warn the Judge about the slime but he completely ignored their warnings. When the slime popped it's lid off and started to overflow onto the container, Sam started to get really worried. So did the others, because when it looked like it was going to explode, Egon pointed to under the desk. Seeing them duck under it, Sam knelt down too. She didn't want to get hit by it. Sam knew all about Peter's 'slimed' experience.

The slime did explode but instead of spewing slime all over the courtroom, two figures came out of the slime. "They're ghosts!" Sam screamed. She couldn't help herself. Of all the things she had thought was going to happen, this wasn't it. Sam went from worried to beyond excited in two seconds. She knew Ray was feeling the same way. It was fantastic! In a terrible way...

Papers started to fly everywhere and people started to run for the exits screaming their heads off. Sam heard Ray yell "Wow!" without a trance of fear. She had never heard him sound so giddy.

Suddenly the ghosts took form, class 4. Sam was so excited she could use her new terminology. They looked like two men in electric chairs, one fat one thin. They floated on either side of the judge's stand and he yelled out "Oh my God, the Scoleri brothers!"

'Scoleri brothers?' Sam had a feeling that, whoever they had been while they had been alive, it probably wasn't nice.

Judge Wexler managed to leap from his chair before the two Scoleri brothers crashed into it and made the whole pulpit explode. He did a dive and crawled to where the guys were under the desk. Surprisingly graceful for a man his age. Leaning into it, Judge Wexler yelled "The Scoleri brothers!"

Ray could barely keep the humor out of his voice as he asked, "Friends of yours?"

"I tried them for murder!-Gave them the chair!" The Judge looked up to see the thin Scoleri brother, Tony, scouring the courtroom, as if he was looking for something...or someone. "You've got to do something!" Pure panic was in his voice now.

"Why don't you tell just them you don't believe in ghosts?" Egon asked logically. Ray nodded in agreement.

Sam laughed despite the insane situation. It was a logical question to a logical situation. Except what was happening now was none of that. She had been expecting something like this eventually, so she was relatively fine, Sam had no idea how the 'I don't believe in anything I can't see' judge was handling it.

All of a sudden, Sam watched in horror as the desk the guys were hiding under was lifted up from both ends by Nunzio and Tony. They ran for cover behind a screen on the side of the room. Sam wasn't sure if they two ghosts had seen her, but she ran for cover as fast as she could with them. The two brothers took the desk and thew it at the judge stand that they had crashed into earlier.

The Judge went straight to the door that should have opened to the holding block, but it didn't. After banging on it in a desperate manner, Judge Wexler turned around and grabbed Ray's jack-lapels. "You gotta do something! Help me!" In a surprisingly calm voice Ray stated "Don't talk to me,-talk to my attorney." Ray turned to face Louis and Sam was astonished at his demeanor. 'Hes enjoying this! Well, of course he is. All this was proving him right! All of them right! There are ghosts!' Sam couldn't wait to see what happened next.

As if he had been waiting for it, Louis took his cue. "And that's me! My guys are still under a judicial estrangement order! That blue thing I got from her! They could be exposing themselves!"

Of course, Peter had to point at the Judge around Louis' side and say "And you don't want us exposing ourselves." How every well put. 'Maybe not...' Sam caught herself thinking.

Suddenly screaming came from the courtroom and all of the leaned out from the screen to see who it was. Not even realizing she had still been in the room, Sam and the guys watched as the female prosecutor was carried upside down from the courtroom by her ankle by the fat Scoleri brother, Nunzio. Sam saw the crowd that had still been outside start to scream again and run around in circles.

This put the fear of ghosts into Judge Wexler even more. Grabbing his head, and screaming he dashed behind the screen again. With a deranged look in his eyes and his hair going every which way, the Judge yelled, "Agggghhh!"

Peter looked him in the eye and said calmly, "You're next bubbles."

Although it pained him greatly, Judge Wexler shook his fists and yelled "All right, all right! I rescind the order! Case dismissed!" Sam saw Ray break out into a huge smile and thump Egon in the arm, who was also smiling. "Yes." Egon simply stated. Louis exclaimed in jubilation "Hurray, we won the case!"

Ray winked at Sam and then took the smile off of his face. It was all business now.

 


	12. We're Back!

"Now do something!"

Sam could barely contain her excitement! It was actually happening. She was going to get to see them in action. Ray in action. Sam had never had a 'thing' for men in uniform but she had a feeling she would really soon.

While both of the Scoleri brothers were out of the courtroom, they suited up. Sam had had no idea how heavy the packs were until she watched Ray help heave Egon's proton pack on to his back. As Egon helped Ray, Peter put his own pack on. Louis watched in open mouthed amazement and Sam was pretty sure her faced looked the same. Suddenly Sam remembered that Louis had already seen the Ghostbusters in full form before. She had a feeling though she, like Louis, she would always feel the same amount of awe.

Peter complained as he put on his pack, "Ohhh, I always hated this part of the business."

After that he stumbled forward as he finished putting it on, Ray looked around the room for the ghosts and Egon unsheathed his particle gun.

"You know, its been a couple of years since we used this stuff," Peter took out his proton gun, "I hope it still works." Sam hoped to god it did, she had no idea what they would do if otherwise.

Egon answered confidently, "It should. The power cells have a half-life of 5,000 years." 'You can always count on Egon to do a through job.' Sam thought with a relieved sigh.

"Well, there's no time for a bench test." Ray also took out his proton gun, "Heat'em up."

Peter flipped the switch on the front of the gun and Sam heard a buzzing noise. 'Was that the nuclear reactor?' Sam had heard a lot about the packs on the news years ago, for a moment she was slightly worried.

Suddenly Venkman sang, "Doe...", Ray switched his on, and followed with, "Re...", Egon was the last to switch his on, and he sang out in a happy tone, "Egon!" Sam let out a hearty laugh and Egon gave a mischievous smile.

Ray wiped the smile off his face and looked at the door. Sam had almost forgotten why they were in such a mess. She held her breath as she waited for the Scoleri brothers to reappear.

There was a calm and then a slight breeze started to blow. Next the chairs farthest from them started to flip over with nothing there. Sam had been expecting the ghosts to turn invisible again. She would have to make a mental note to remember what ghosts were capable of.

Ray screamed out "Oh!" and the chairs keep flipping and advancing. Clearly the ghosts were coming right at them but the boys held their ground.

Finally, when there were no more chairs left and they had reached the railing, they became visible. Sam and Louis let out screams as the Ghostbusters let the streams loose. The Judge was too busy still trying to escape to notice.

As the streams hit the ghosts, they also hit other objects around the courtroom. Sam watched as chairs, railing, wall and just about everything else around the Scoleri brothers was destroyed along with them.

All three of the Ghostbusters were half-way between groaning and yelling because of the force the streams were putting out. They might remember how to use the packs but their bodies were out of practice.

The Scoleri ghosts flew behind the three of them and they followed them with the streams. As the brothers disappeared, Peter, Ray and Egon turned off their particle guns.

Sam could still barely register what had just happened. All she knew was, that without a doubt, she had to join them. What had seemed like science fiction only yesterday was reality. She had witnessed it and there was no turning back. Sure, she had heard about it on TV and had even seen some footage but it had been nothing like this. Her entire body tingled with energy. Was this how they felt? No wonder they loved their job so much.

The three of them were frantically looking about the room for the ghosts and Peter walked fast away from Egon and Ray, screaming, "Ahhhh!"

Letting that out of his system, he shifted his eyes around and seeing nothing gave a slight tilt of the head and shoulders. Then he proceeded to give a laugh, one that Sam would have thought that people in padded white rooms would have. It was infectious, for next Ray had a grin a mile long on his face and an insane laugh to match it. Egon gave a laugh that sounded a bit awkward; it was a rare occasion that made Egon Spengler laugh. Louis almost joined in but then Nunzio appeared, surprising them all.

Peter was the first to react and he managed to hold Nunzio with the stream. Egon screamed to Ray, "Watch it, Ray!", then to Peter, "You got it! Hold'em!-Keep it steady!"

Dragging the ghost to the back of the courtroom, Peter opened the gate separating the 'audience' from the court. "Come on big boy! I'm gonna to take you home to my private zoo!" Always the professional.

Peter grabbed Nunzio with the stream again and Ray yelled out, while pointing in an overly enthusiastic manner, "You got'em! You got'em! Spengie, bring the trap!"

"Oh, okay, okay." As Egon grabbed the trap off the table, he saw Tony materialize behind Ray's back.

Both Egon and Sam cried out, "Behind you, Ray!" and ducked as Ray shot the particle beam a little too close for comfort. The ray caused the glass to shatter, that Judge Wexler had been hiding behind, as he had tried, in vain, to open the door to the holding cells.

Ray captured the other brother and Sam watched in amazement as both Ray and Peter held separate ghosts in their streams. It was the craziest light show Sam had ever seen.

When Egon saw it was safe to move again he called out to Ray, "Hold it, Ray!", then to Pete, "Venkman, start bringing it back!"

Peter started to work his way back to Egon and the trap, "Come on, you big meanie. Let's go! Yeah, chubby!" Egon shouted out in warning, "Ray, keep pulling him to the right!" Sam had no interest in watching the streams cross on the very first day she got to see ghost busting.

Egon knelt down and got the trap ready to go. "Okay, the traps going in!" Sam watched as Egon slid the trap between the two men.

Ray yelled, "No, no no Spengie!" As the streams got a bit too close for comfort. Peter gave a face of mass concentration and Egon said, "Hold it, Ray." Finally Egon opened the trap with the foot petal as Ray called, "Hit it!"

A yellowish, white light erupted from the tiny trap and both Scoleri brothers were captured in it. Sam watched in fascinating horror as they were both sucked into it. The trap beeped twice and Sam let out a huge sigh of relief.

The three men gathered around the trap. Ray exclaimed in a triumphant voice, "Two in the box!" Egon said, "Ready to go!" Peter finished with, "We be fast!" They all chanted together and pointed at the trap, "And they be slow!" They really were just over grown boys at heart.

Once he knew it was safe, Louis ran over to the trap, knelt down to it and said, "Wow!"

Ray turned to Sam, "And that is what we call 'ghost busting'." Peter added in a cocky voice, "Impressive, right?" For added effect he blew off the top of his 'smoking gun'.

Sam ran over to them and practically jumped up and down as she shouted, "You guys were phenomenal! Amazing! Stupendous! Awe inspiring!" She winked at Peter, "Sexy!"

Ray and Egon puffed out their chests. It was always nice to hear such words. Sam continued, "I want to see more! I want to know everything there is to know about ghost busting!" She put both her hands on Ray's chest. "Oh, please! Say I can!" Ray was at a complete loss for words as he looked down into Sam's pleading brown eyes.

Egon cleared his throat. "We will all have to discuss that, but now is not the most opportune time."

Ray and Sam reluctantly parted and they all made their way to the front double doors of the courtroom.

They tried to wave to Judge Wexler to join them, but he shook his head 'no' and stayed balled up in a corner.

By the time they opened the double doors to the hallway, it was already crowded with reporters. Peter raised his hand to all of them and announced, "We're the best! We're the beautiful! We're the only...Ghostbusters!"

Ray couldn't contain his happiness any longer and shouted, "We're back!" With a fist raised to the air.


	13. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs playing on radio: 'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson, 'Paradise City' by Guns N' Roses, 'She's So Cold' by Rolling Stones, 'Waiting For A Star To Fall' by Boy Meets Girl and 'You Might Think' by The Cars. PS I love The Cars!

They were all standing outside the firehouse staring at its broken facade. Sure, Egon and Ray had been living there since the Ghostbusters had broken up, but the two of them had not had the money for the upkeep.

Peter scrunched up his face. "God, don't tell me the containment unit looks like this." Winston nodded his head in agreement.

Egon raised his eyes to the heavens and said in a short toned reply, "No, . The containment unit is an extremely important device that we have managed to maintain all these years. So happy that now you show concern about it. The expense has all been out of pocket, I might add."

Peter gave a nod, avoiding the subject and lead the way into the firehouse. Once they were all downstairs, Sam stared in open wonder at the containment unit. It looked so ordinary and yet, it held paranormal entities for all eternity...or until the power was turned off.

Ray turned to Louis and said with a smile, "Louis, I would love for you to have the honors of depositing our brand new capture."

Louis made the cross between a choking sound and a yelp. Ray gave an encouraging nod as Louis approached the wall unit.

"When the light is green, the trap is clean." Winston said in a sing-song voice a teacher would use.

Ray opened the unit and Louis placed the trap into its slot. After pushing some buttons and turning another switch, the light that had been red turned off and the green one turned on. Ray gave Louis a brotherly thud on the back with his hand and Louis gave a weak smile.

"Well, now that that is out of the way," Peter said with his arms crossed, "what now?"

Egon looked at them all in a thoughtful way. "Logically, we start up Ghostbusters again."

"I did state 'We're Back!' at the court house."

"But, Ray, the Ecto-1 is a wreck, I assume we need Janine back and god knows what else."

"We can't put another mortgage on my parents house! I'm still trying to pay off the last one!" Ray said in dismay.

Clearing her throat so that all would look at her, Sam said, "Considering I already have my money tied up with all you guys, why don't we put it up for the remodel." Sam cut off Ray's words of refusal and added, "I want a cut of the action though. I know it will take time for me to learn, but I want to learn how to use a proton pack. I want a uniform and I want to drive the Ecto-1, once she is all shiny again. Oh, and I get to live here. I am  _not_ going back to a weekly hotel." She gave them all a defiant look, daring them to disagree.

Winston held out his hand for Sam to shake. "I for one, would like to congratulate you as our newest Ghostbusters member."

Peter embraced her and said, "Better your money than mine. Welcome to the team."

Egon nodded his head in agreement but Ray looked slightly peeved. "You do realize this is a dangerous job. One that isn't to be taken lightly. You saw what those ghosts were capable of, do you think you can handle that Sam? There are no second chances."

Sam looked into Ray's eyes for a moment, a hard look on her face. She slowly nodded her head in agreement and extended her hand for Ray to shake. Although it was with a bit of hesitance, Ray shook her hand, a small smirk on his face.

Now, they were truly back in business.

* * *

Cleaning up the firehouse proved to be a chore. Although the upstairs was relatively clean, the down stair offices and the Ecto-1 needed a good scrub and a touch up of paint...among other things. With bucket and scrub brush in hand, Sam set about to 'cleanin' up'. Ray came downstairs with the small boombox that they had had at her nephew's birthday party.

Switching the radio on, 'Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson started to play. Sam gave him a smile, and with a broom that had been leaning against the wall, Ray started to sweep. She could hardly believe how much easier it was to clean now that she had music.

Sam started to bop her head and sing under her breath. Catching Ray doing the same, Sam said, "I love this music video. Thanks for bringing down the radio. Everything is easier with music."

Sam laughed as Ray took the broom and used it like a microphone. " _You've been hit it by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal_."

It had been difficult to get some alone time after the trial. Everything was happening in a whirlwind of activity and it was nice to just be in each others company without the others. Wringing her sponge out, Sam stole a glance at Ray. His hair was disheveled and he was wearing clothes that had dirt and paint smudges on them. The boys had been painting and repairing, while she and Louis had done most of the cleaning.

Sam gave another secret look and went back to her cleaning. Ray wasn't any less guilty. Whenever he thought she wasn't looking, he would steal a glance over in her direction. After about ten minutes of working in comfortable silence, Sam announced she was going upstairs for a drink. However, just as she put her foot on the bottom most step,'You Might Think' by The Cars started to play. As if drawn by an invisible force Sam walked stepped off the ledge and started to move her hips. "God, I love this song!"

Ray let out a laugh and stopped sweeping to watch her twist her body to the music and sing, " _You might think I'm crazy, to hang around with you_." Sam twisted her way over to Ray and threw the broom out of his stunned hands.

"Come on Ray! You know the words, don't you? Sing with me!" Grabbing both of his hands, Sam let him in a half-twist, half-dance. She knew she was making a complete fool of herself but it helped to get rid of some nervous energy and the tension she had in her shoulders, after bending down scrubbing for an hour.

After a verse, Ray lighted up and started to sing." _You might think I'm crazy. All I want is you_." Sam blushed at the words, and let go of his hands to dance around him, avoiding his eyes.

* * *

Getting Janine to come back was a piece of cake. She hated her secretarial job at second rate law firm and almost cried with relief to get her old job back. At least the men at the Ghostbusters didn't treat her like a coffee maker.

Because of all the law suits from last time, Ray hired Louis to do payroll, file taxes, and other miscellaneous paper tasks. Louis was enraptured and promptly set up office.

It took almost the entire budget and three hard days of endless work from the boys but they managed to get the Ecto-1, now the Ecto-1A, looking brand new again. Trying to go to calls when it was in semi-disrepair had been terrible, and to see it show room ready, brought a tear to their eyes.

Unfortunately, Sam had had almost no time for training. They had just been too busy and Egon had been spending all his spare time fixing their devices so that there would be no mechanical failures on any calls. So she spent time enjoying watching Janine work and learning how she filed cases. Janine and Sam became fast friends, and Sam realized how much she had missed the company of women. Even a woman as odd as Janine.

* * *

"Ghostbusters. Yes, we're back." Janine had been answering the telephone like that for two days straight. She kept such a straight face, Sam wondered how Janine could be so bored when so many amazing events were taking place.

People could hardly believe they were back in business. Apparently there had not been a big lull in paranormal activity as they had previously thought. They had been needed by the public, but they couldn't help before because of all the legal problems. Now, they not only had the slime to deal with, but a few years of back log hauntings.

* * *

With the first real profit they made, it was decided that they needed a new sign. Ray was like a proud father, staring up, as the sign company put the finishing touches on the new Ghostbusters II sign. The mascot ghost had two fingers up, Ray explained. "Technically, we were out of business and now we're back. Its like a sequel in a way...plus I thought a new design would add to the freshness of the company. We're not the same as before."

Taking those words to heart, Sam got an idea.

* * *

It took a bit of work, but Sam finally managed to get them all into the same room when they had more than five minutes to spare."I've got you all here today for an early Christmas present but also a congratulatory gift for being back in business!"

Peter said, "Bah humbug!"

After a quick glare at him, Sam handed them all their gift boxes, "Open them."

Ray tore off the paper with the enthusiasm of a five year old. "Oh, wow. Sam, you didn't have to do this! It's amazing!" In Ray's hands was a new uniform. Almost exactly like the old one but with the new logo and in a gray color. All the Ghostbusters shared the same words of appreciation, "I, of course, got a new too."

Winston rolled his eyes. "We never doubted that for a minute, Sam."

Giving Egon and Ray puppy eyes, Sam asked. "Now that I have a uniform...can I help on the next call?"

Egon and Ray exchanged looks. Ray finally relented, "Fine, but you can't drive the Ecto-1A yet." Egon added, "We have to set up a time to train with the equipment and other basics."

Sam let out a squeal of glee and hugged her new uniform. She was finally going to be a Ghostbuster!

 


	14. Slime on the Stair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Montage scenes

She had been so hopeful! So enthusiastic! She had practically rolled the window down and shouted out of the Ecto-1...but now, to say she was let down, would be an extreme understatement.

"Slime...on stairs? This, this is my first call?" Sam was trying hard not to pout, but it was proving to be very difficult.

Ray put his hands on his hips. "Sam, it's not all glamor, bustin' ghosts is hard work. It involves research, investigation, and studying."

"Ray's right, you know." Egon said as he scanned the slime with the PKE. "We have spent many years researching and cataloging paranormal activity. Tobin's Spirit Guide."

"Spate's Catalog."

Sam nodded her head in silent agreement, thinking of something constructive to say. "It's kind of interesting that the slime is finally above ground now. I wonder what it means...?"

The three of them looked up at the slime, seeping down the stairs. "Also there doesn't seem to be a crack that the slime can flowing out of." Egon said while putting the PKE back onto his belt.

"Who called it in?"

"One of the renters of this building. They thought it was...odd."

Realizing they would probably take it home with them, Sam said, "I'll go check the Ecto-1 and see if there's anything we can scoop the slime up and keep it in."

Ray looked up into the sky and mumbled, "Actually, I brought that along."

"Hum?"

"I have a containment unit, and a utensil which to dispense the ecto-plasm into said unit." Ray held his hands out with the items.

Sam paused and then said incredulously, "It's an aluminum spoon from the kitchen and an old jelly jar."

Egon and Ray looked at each other and Egon said, "If one were to think in unscientific terms."

Ray ladled the slime into the jar, while Egon and Sam watched. Feeling like she ought to be doing more, Sam excused herself and started to investigate the area around the building with Egon's PKE. Not surprisingly, there was little to no activity except for where the slime had seeped through onto the stairs. Sam started to stare off into the sky, losing her focus. Shaking her head she tried to piece together all the facts...except there wasn't much to piece together.

'I feel like an over active kid in a bad movie trying to prove their self.' With a sigh, Sam returned to Egon and Ray. They also appeared to have no new news either.

"Well, at least we now have slime to run tests on. Slime that hasn't been contaminated by anything." Sam said giving Ray a more enthusiastic look than she felt. "Any idea what could be the cause of it?"

"There are many different scenarios. The old transit must pass by here, or else that would mean that the slime has more than one flow path now." Egon stood up and took the PKE back from Sam. "We never got the maps for the route the slime river would be taking...Ray, could you get those?"

"Sure." Ray answered distractedly, as he put the lid on the jar of slime.

They had spoken with the woman who had called in the slime, but all she knew was that the slime hadn't been there in the evening but by that morning it had appeared as if by magic.

* * *

Let down after her first 'ghost' case, Sam excused herself from the guys once they got back and plopped herself on the couch.

Sam laid down, staring off into space. She tried to reason it all out but nothing made any sense. After a few minutes of aimless thoughts, she decided to pester Egon about the proton packs. They couldn't avoid training her forever.

* * *

"I have to do what?"

Egon gave Sam a sympathetic look, but he was determined in his decision.

Sam petted her hair, and holding back her tears asked one more time. "Do I have too? I've had my long hair since I was ten. Is it absolutely necessary?"

Egon let out a sigh. "Sam, I'm sorry but you have to cut your hair before you use a proton pack. Your hair could get tangled in the gears or get in the line of the proton stream. It has to be at least to your shoulders and it has to go in a bun or side ponytail, on the opposite side of the gun holster. I can't have you putting us and others in danger over your hair."

Sam gave one last sniff. She knew Egon was right, but it didn't make it any less difficult. "Okay, I'll tie it to the left side of my head; I'm right handed." Taking a deep breath, Sam tried to focus on the logical.

Egon held a pair of scissors in his hand, silently asking her the question.

"Do it now." Sam closed her eyes and sat down; praying she was making the right choice. How she was going to miss her hair!

* * *

It seemed like an eternity, but it only took Egon a few minutes to cut a straight line across Sam's hair. She could feel her head getting lighter, her hair was so thick and went everywhere as Egon cut off the last of it below her shoulders.

"Do you want a mirror?"

"No, its only till I get my next pay check for a proper hair cut anyway. Let me put it up and let's get down to business."

At first Sam was distracted from what Egon was telling her, but soon her haircut was completely forgotten. Sam had had no idea how truly genius Egon was, but as she learned how the proton pack worked she was completely astonished. He was making her learn the small details and working. True Winston had not received such intense training but he had never been all that interested in the mechanics of it. Egon said she might even be able to put a pack on her back soon, but first he was going to go over all of it methodically.

"What happen here, Egon? You shave a small animal?" Egon and Sam both looked up to see Peter and Winston; they had just arrived back from a class one haunting call.

"I prefer to think of my hair as more of a 'tiger' than a 'possum'." Sam said with a smirk.

Winston gave her a smile, as he went into the kitchen. "Nice 'do."

"Get into a fight with a lawn mower?" Peter asked, as he flopped onto the couch.

"Actually, Egon made me cut my hair before I could try on the proton pack. He seemed to think I was going to kill us all with my flowing locks."

Peter let out a laugh and turned on the TV. Egon glared at him, "Let's continue this downstairs. I want to have you put on the proton pack, and see how it feels anyway; it might be too heavy for you."

* * *

Sam let out a yodel as she slide down the fire pole to the ground story. She was so happy to finally be back in a good mood.

Ray looked up from his conversation with Janine to say 'hello' to Sam, but his greeting was lost in gurgle as he pointed to her head.

"What happened?" Ray asked, confused beyond all rational thought.

Sam let out a sigh, as she once again had to explain herself. "Egon said my hair could have gotten tangled up into the proton pack, so he made me cut it before I tried one on." Sam hastened to add, "It's not like I wanted too! I loved my long hair...it's just that I want to do this more. I'm sorry." Sam wasn't quite sure why she was apologizing but the look on Ray's face compelled her too.

Squishing his face up in an odd manner, Ray glared at Egon. Sam wasn't sure if Ray was mad or not, but the last emotion she wanted Ray to be feeling was anger on her account. So she quickly walked over to him, blocking his view of Egon.

"It'll look great! Once I get an actual cut at the salon and some scrunchies to tie it up in, it will look better than before. Don't you think so too, Janine?"

Janine looked at Sam in a confused manner for a moment, then realization dawned and she adamantly agreed with Sam.

Ray looked down with the trace of slight frown still on his lips. "Are you sure you're alright? I didn't want you to have to change at all for us."

"That's very sweet." Sam gave Ray a secret smile, "Do you want to me try on the proton pack for the first time? Egon's letting me have a go at it now."

"That's only if you think she's ready for it, Ray." Egon said, with the PKE stretched out scanning the three other occupants in the room.

Ray gave Sam a questionable look, and Sam pouted her bottom lip out.

Feeling like a kid, Sam looked up at Ray. "You know, I may be younger than you guys but I can take care of myself. I may can a bit, 'childish' at times but you all aren't paragons of maturity either."

Janine nodded in agreement and Ray laughed. "Alright, alright! Let's do this. Egon bring the pack over."

Egon picked the pack up where it had placed it on the stairs and handed it to Ray. Sam turned around and Ray helped her put the straps on. The proton pack was heavier than Sam expected and she instantly understood why Egon had had her cut her hair. Not only was the proton pack heavier than it looked, it was also bulkier and wider. She also knew what Peter had meant by, 'hating this part of the job'.

Adjusting the straps tighter, Ray asked her what she thought of it.

Moving her arms around a bit and working a few paces, Sam tried to get a feel for the pack. 'I feel like I'm trying on a new pair of shoes.' Her mom had always made her walk around the store before she could decide if a pair of shoes actually fit her or not. Although an unlicensed nuclear accelerator was different than shoes.

Confident that with some time and practice she could easily handle the proton pack, she told the boys as much. "It feels awkward now, but I'm sure I'll be a natural at it." Ray was practically beaming at her and Egon had a look of approval as well.

"I'd never want to do that." Janine said flatly, before she picked up the ringing phone.

 


	15. The Heart of the Ghostbusters

"So how do we capture him?"

For once the Ghostbusters were at a slight loss. The ghosts they had captured in the past had always been in a building or an enclosed area, but this one was out in the open. Other than being out in the open, the ghost was sporadically appearing and disappearing so that capturing it was extra difficult. To top it all off, it was Central Park, to say it was packed would to be putting it lightly.

Sam was leaning against the Ecto-1A with Peter and Ray trying to figure out the best approach. "Maybe we could ask him to go quietly?" Peter asked with obvious sarcasm.

Ray stared at Peter for a moment and then went back to tinkering with the PKE. There was obviously a ghost in the park, but he needed something to occupy his hands. Sam started to pace in front of them, trying to focus her thoughts.

"What if, instead of us going to the ghost, he comes to us?"

Peter and Ray both looked at Sam with bewilderment, having both been lost in their own thoughts. Knowing she had their attention, Sam continued with more confidence. "We know he's on a fixed track, right? What if we use the Ecto-Goggles to find his location and then set the trap further down the line, that way we don't have to use the packs..." Sam made a frown, "Although, don't get me wrong; I want to use the packs, just now might not be the best time."

Ray and Peter slowly let Sam's plan seep in. "Best to keep a low profile. Maybe if we go incognito?"

Sam let out a small laugh. "It sounds so silly, but you do have a point Venkman."

Even if they didn't use the packs, if a crowd gathered around them, the capture could get difficult.

"Well, let's see what we have in the Ecto-1A." After rooting around the backseat, Sam was able to find a beret and some jackets they had thrown off another night. "Should I even ask about the beret?" Sam asked in a playful, yet worried tone.

Peter snatched the beret out of her hand, and put it on his head. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

After she let out a loud bark of a laugh, Sam said. "That looks fantastic on you, Pete. Ray, here's your jacket." Ray gave her a smile as he took the jacket. Ray's smile got even wider as he fished something out of his pocket.

"My cigar! I was wondering where I had put that." With a dramatic flair, Ray lite it. "Ready to get down to business, sweetheart?"

Sam gave him a thumbs up. "Let's do this!"

* * *

After they had it all set up, it was just the waiting game. With the Ecto-Goggles, Ray monitored the progress of the jogging ghost around the Central Park track. Peter sat on a park bench with his jacket and beret, reading a discarded newspaper.

Unfortunately, Sam really didn't have a part to play in the capture of the jogging ghost. She was let down, but Ray gave her an encouraging thump on the back. "Don't worry! You did great thinking this idea up. Next bust, I promise you'll get to make something explode."

Sam didn't mind, she was happy to be apart of it. She realized how childish it had been to get upset about the slime and had promised herself to take her job more like a professional. Although it was hard to keep that mindset as Ray smoked a cigar and Peter pretended to read a week old newspaper.

It was really sad in a way, Sam thought. This jogger had no idea he was dead. He was still continuing to do the same exercise he had loved while he had been alive. The jogging ghost was more human looking than any of the other ghosts Sam had seen and for some reason, that made her feel more sorry for him.

As he approached them he started to check his pulse. 'It's like a record set on repeat with no set destination.' Sam pondered.

Sooner than she had expected, Peter slammed his foot onto the trap lever and it opened up trapping the ghost. It was over in less than a second. It didn't even look like he had had any idea what had even happened.

Peter glanced at his watch. "You know, he ran that last lap in under six minutes?"

Ray smiled, taking the cigar out of his mouth. "If he wasn't dead he'd be an Olympian prospect."

Sam grabbed the trap and waved the live joggers on. "Amazing! I think no matter how many times I see that it will always surprise me."

"Just remember not to look into the trap." Ray said with honest concern. Sam just laughed. "I wasn't going too!"

"I like the way she thinks Ray! Her plans are much more thought out than the 'Get her!' tactics I'm used too." Peter said as he threw away the newspaper, and started to head towards the Ecto-1A.

"What does he mean?" Sam was utterly confused.

Ray coughed and changed the topic. "That was a great plan, Sam." With a certain amount of suave, Ray put his arm around Sam's shoulders. With a happy blush, Sam put her free arm around Ray's waist and walked the rest of the way to the Ecto-1A, talking about nothing particular.

Peter watched them from the corner of his eye.

* * *

Once they got back to the station, Sam went downstairs to put the jogging ghost in the containment unit. Ray opened up the hood of the Ecto-1 and as Ray wasn't looking, Peter quickly slipped downstairs to talk with Sam.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Sam turned around to see Peter at the top of the stairs heading down.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe that Egon and Ray could think it up and then build something like this." Sam said as she finished emptying the trap into the containment unit.

Peter walked down the rest of the stairs to join Sam near the containment unit. "Egon is the brain of the operation."

Sam let out a laugh. "Well said! If Egon is the brain, than you are definitely the brawn."

"Too true, too true. Do you have any idea what Ray is?"

"Ray?"

Sam had never seen Peter look so serious, and that was something. "Do you have any idea what he is to the Ghostbusters? To us, his friends." Sam didn't think he was looking for her to answer, but more for her to listen. "Ray is the heart. Without him, the Ghostbusters would lack the compassion and love of the job that he brings to all of I'm trying to say is, don't break the heart of the Ghostbusters. It's obvious the way he feels about you, and the two of you might not be 'official' yet but I think in Ray's mind it almost is."

Sam had a million things to say, but she couldn't think of which one to say first.

Peter walked over to the speechless Sam, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Look, I'm not trying to frighten you," he let out a chuckle, "I, of all people, know what love is and what it can do. You don't look like a person who goes around breaking hearts, but just please be careful with Ray, okay? He's a lot more fragile than he looks."

Sam had had a vague idea of this before, but having Peter tell her it, made her realize just how true it was. She slowly nodded her head and Peter patted her on both shoulders. "Now, get back up there and get to work."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

She stood behind Ray feeling slightly stalker-ish. He looked so sexy with his body draped over the engine of the Ecto-1A, as he gave her the daily tune up. Realizing she was still staring at his ass, Sam shook her head, "How's it going?"

Ray jumped and looked over his shoulder at her. "Good, good. She's had a slight hiccup but with a tweak or two, she'll be good as new!"

Unsure how to continue, Sam stared at the engine and Ray's tight tush.

Sam just blurted out the first thing that came to mind after she began to feel guilty. "Do you want anything to drink? Water, soda, beer?"

"I know I should ask for water but I'd love a beer."

Sam made a click with her tongue, and went upstairs to get a beer.

* * *


	16. Floating Crystal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parts of this story uses dialogue from the Ed Naha and B.B. Hiller's Ghostbusters II novelization. (Two different books) I don't own 'Sunglasses at Night' by Corey Hart or 'Get out of my dreams, get into my car' by Billy Ocean.

It was the perfect start to a fantastic day. The air was crisp and chilly, the tinsel was finally hung and the Christmas tree in place. It was only a two foot tree, but Sam hadn't felt like hauling anything larger than that up the stairs.

Just taking it all in, she caught a glimpse of Ray's hunched over figure at the computer. He and Egon had been working on the slime and researching if any of the usual literature mentioned it. When it hadn't, they had resorted to the not so usual literature, but even that was proving difficult. Para-active slimes that came by the river full, wasn't considered normal in any place or time.

With a blanket draped over her shoulders, and holding a cup of hot chocolate, with little Stay Puft marshmallows, Sam shuffled over to Ray and stared over his shoulder. She had started to feel the wear of the constant work load and training, so she wasn't trying to actually read the screen because her eyes just won't focus.

"How you feelin'?" Ray asked glancing his eyes in her direction.

Staring at the screen for another moment, Sam answered, "Tired, worn out, over worked and under payed." Sam finished with a small smile.

Ray turned off the computer screen and stood up. "Alright, back to sleep with you missy."

"But there's too much to do. Like training, and I want to be up for the next call that all of us are needed on." With a reproachful look, she added, "I missed that one awesome ghost and that is  _not_ happening again."

Ray admitted his guilt in keeping Sam in bed, where he adamantly argued, she had needed to be.

"I don't need to be babied! I can carry my own weight!" For some reason the conversation was making her angrier than it should. Sam realized it was because Ray was right, she needed more rest, but knowing that he was right made her more irritated.

"I know you can Sam," Ray's eyes looked tired, "now will you go to bed?"

Feeling guilty for her irrational anger, Sam looked into her hot chocolate and apologized. She slowly made her way back to the bedroom. Ray watched as Sam's slouched figure moved away. Knowing he snapped at her too, he felt a need to make it up to her. "Want me to keep you company until you go to sleep?"

Sam's head made a slight jerk up, but she said in an even tone, "That'd be nice."

Neither of them saw the slime let out a small bubble in its container.

* * *

If Ray had thought being in the close vicinity of Sam would allow her to fall asleep easier, he had been totally wrong.

She was trying hard to control her heartbeat, but even that was taking almost all her concentration. "What are you doing for Christmas?" Sam had wished she hadn't of asked, when she saw the look on Ray's face. She knew that he had had some issues with his family but she didn't think that it still affected him so. Moving her arm up from out of the blanket, she put it over Ray's hand.

Ray gave Sam's hand a squeeze. "I'll just be spending it here, probably working." Ray was quiet for a moment staring out the window. "We used to have big family Christmases when my parents were alive but after that..."

"We'll make some great memories this year. All of us...all right? Well, maybe excluding Venkman."

Ray let out a laugh and nodded his head in agreement. "Enough stalling, time to close your eyes and get some sleep." With reluctance, Sam closed her eyes but she didn't let go of Ray's hand. Before she even knew it, Sam was taken over by a wave of sleep.

* * *

He watched her as she drifted off to sleep, 'I'm not a pervert for watching am I?' Ray shook his head trying to clear it of pure and impure thoughts. Sam was right, holidays and the new year was a time to spend with the people one cared about. Family or not. He lifted his eyes to the window nearest to him, staring at the light outside.

'I'll take her to 5th Avenue. It's always decorated so beautifully for Christmas and Sam would love it.' Letting his thoughts wander for another minute, Ray could feel his own eyes starting to sag under sleepiness. Before he drifted off, Ray took one last look at Sam, kissed her on the forehead, and then shut his own eyes.

* * *

"Well isn't that adorable. I feel like taking a picture but we need a puppy." Sam opened her eyes, to Peter's smart remark.

Sam couldn't figure out what he was talking about till she fully took in what was around her. Ray was still holding her hand and had fallen asleep sitting up in her bed. He was still passed out and snoring lightly.

Sam softly sat up in bed and put her finger to her lips to silence the other Ghostbusters. Who, seeing her do this, promptly went out into the kitchen. Sam paid Ray back, with a kiss on the check. "Ray, wake up. The boys are back." Ray let out a yawn and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

"Oh, did I fall asleep? Guess you weren't the only one who was tired."

Sam almost said something but decided against it, instead she just rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately they didn't have a minute to catch up, because as soon as they were in the kitchen, Janine had already hit the bell.

Sam ran to the pole and yelled out "See you later boys!" as she slide down it.

Ray let out a laugh and promptly followed right behind her.

The other three Ghostbusters let out a collective sigh. "How am I ever going to find time to film 'World of the Psychic' with all these shenanigans going on?" Egon let out a snort, "Peter, no one watches that show anyway." Peter lifted himself from the couch and stretched out his back. "You know if I had feelings, I would say they would almost be hurt by that remark."

Hearing the verbal banter between the two men, Winston just looked up to the ceiling, reminding himself 'As long as I get paid.'

* * *

"The address is what?" They were all piled into the Ecto-1A and Sam could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Isn't that a super expensive jewelry store?"

"There's no need to shout in my ear, Sam" Sam mouthed 'Sorry' to Peter and he continued, "Yes, it's super expensive but it's crystal. The owner said that his merchandise started to float, and oddly enough that worries him."

Ray and Egon kept their mouths shut, processing all the new information. Sam was practically jumping in her seat with glee and the other two just tried to focus on not thinking about the nut jobs they were with.

* * *

They walked into the crystal store with their heads held high and their PKE meters out.

As soon as Ray got a good look about the room, he knew what the problem was. "Some sort of major PKE storm must have blown through here and affected the silicon molecules." Ray excitedly pointed out the details to Sam, "It's a classic straight polarity reversal." However the owner looked less than excited. All he knew was that he had hundreds of thousands of dollars floating, just waiting to shatter into a million pieces.

Seeing the owners concern, Ray gave him his best 'you can trust me' smile and said, "We'll have it fixed in a jiff." Ray turned to face Egon, and answered the question Ray didn't have to ask. "The tripod traps should be in working order. It might also be advisable for us to wear sunglasses to shade our eyes from the laser beams."

The owner gulped at the word 'laser beam'.

* * *

Sam started to whistle 'Sunglasses at Night' as they put the finishing touches on the tripod placement. She still couldn't believe that Egon had managed to design and build them without her even noticing. 'I wonder if he ever sleeps?' Sam gave Egon a quizzical look that he noticed and she changed it into a guilty smile.

Walking over to Ray, Sam knocked him in the shoulder with her own. "I get to break something, right?"

Ray looked over to the manager. "No choice really." Ray hit his shoulder to hers again and whispered. "You're evil."

Sam smirked, as Ray shouted, "Okay! Activate!" Pushing their buttons simultaneously, the tripods let out beams of light that bounced off the crystals and in a moment brought them raining down to the ground. Every last piece of it shattered on the ground but one. Sam reached out for the piece nearest to her, a tiny crystal dog.

With a look of triumph, Egon turned off the main switch. The room was once again free of PKE but it was also free of sell able merchandise.

"Nice work, Spengler. This could open a whole new field of possibilities!" Stantz proclaimed with his overenthusiastic 'science' voice. Egon had on a smug grin as he packed up their equipment.

The manager just looked around at the wreckage before him horrified past all rational thought. Seizing his opportunity, Venkman placed the bill in the manager's open palm. "We accept cash or check. Also we now take Visa or Mastercard with a five dollar processing fee. The poor man just looked up at the Ghostbuster in open mouth astonishment. Like Peter, Sam got him while he was still too shocked to fight back. "Can I have the dog as a memento?" She tried to give him her most innocent smile.

* * *

Sam felt slightly guilty as they rode back to the firehouse. She was cradling the crystal dog in her hands, making sure it wouldn't break with Ray's rough driving. "Well, nothing blew up but that was still quite the show!"

Winston gave her a mournful look. "I'm pretty sure the manager's heart blew up after Peter gave him that bill." Like Sam was cradling the crystal dog, so was Peter cradling their brand new check. "One is expected to pay for services rendered. It's better than what we did to the Sedgewick."

Ray turned up the radio, trying to cover up their unprofessional laughter.


	17. Breakthrough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray's POV

It was 2am and he had been staring at it for hours, although after midnight he had stopped seeing the slime and was more in a spaced out reality of half awareness. Still Ray tried to continue to figure out the puzzle beyond the time that any real progress could be made. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't only trying to avoid sleep but also Christmas.

He loved Christmas, more than the average person (and certainly more than Peter) but each year got harder and harder, knowing that it was just one more year to add on to the time he hadn't seen his parents or been part of a family. True, the Ghostbusters were his family now, but sometimes it wasn't the same.

Ray lifted his head to the squeak of the bedroom door opening. He was less than surprised to see that it was Sam. She gave him a light nod and went to the kitchen to get herself a cup of water from the tap. Ray watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw her catch a quick glance back at him. He smiled and she returned it.

Taking it as a welcome signal, Sam made her way over to Ray. She was less than sexy in her baggy flannel pajamas but something about the way she walked over to him made the room seem a bit warmer than it had a moment before.

"You should take your own advice and get some sleep." Sam handed him the glass of water and without a second thought he took a sip. 'Indirect kiss' Ray's mind thought as he handed her back the glass. 'What am I, in high school?' Ray directed his mind back to the slime.

"I'll be in bed soon. Even if I went now, I still couldn't sleep. It's better to try and work than stare at the ceiling." He didn't look at her as he said this, but he could just feel the disapproving look boring down on him.

"You know, you shouldn't hold double standards Ray." There was more bite to the comment than he had been expecting and Ray turned to look her in the eye.

"I was perfectly fine before you came here and I will be perfectly fine after you leave." He regretted it the moment the words had gotten out of his mouth. What had been with them lately? All these sly remarks and rude words. Was there friendship really that weak?

Although she spoke it in a whisper, the words still had their full impact on Ray. "Don't worry, at this rate I'll be gone a lot soon than you had thought. That way you can find out, have fun with your science kit Dr. Stantz." With that Sam gave him one last look and turned to leave.

This wasn't how it was suppose to end, whether it was for the night or their relationship. Ray grabbed her hand as she turned and at the same time they saw the slime bubble up; the first real reaction he had seen since getting the slime to the station.

Sam must have seen it too, because her expression changed instantaneous and she said, "Ray, oh my god, did you see that?" He nodded his head in reply, afraid to say anything. "What do you think caused it?"

Ray didn't want to admit to it, but he had a vague idea why. "It was from us fighting. Our voices or something must have affected the slime in some way."

"Just like when you were on trial! The slime bubbled when the Judge started yelling."

"But we weren't yelling just now..." Ray didn't add the 'it was just implied' part to his statement.

They both stared at the slime for a minute, still holding onto each others hand.

Slowly Sam said, "Maybe it wasn't the tone of voice but the meaning behind it...the emotion."

Ray processed the idea for a moment, it didn't seem all that farfetched. "So what your saying is it's the emotion behind the words, how strongly the person feels about what their saying."

Sam didn't give him a reaction but he could tell she was still thinking something over. Hesitantly, Sam shared her thoughts. "It's all been negative emotions, I wonder if positive emotions would also have the same affect.

Ray could feel his face get warmer and he became very aware of Sam's hand in his own. Where could this conversation be taking them? "Well, it seems logical. Egon and I can run some tests on it in the morning." 'Open mouth insert foot.'

Sam took her hand from his and he felt like all connection he had had with her had been lost. But it only lasted for a second as Sam turned to face him and grabbed both his hands. "So are you going to do this with Egon and see how the slime reacts?" He let out a nervous laugh and looked anywhere but at Sam.

"Hey!" Sam's raised voice caught his attention and she locked eyes with him. "You know all these repressed feelings can make a girl crazy." He looked at her with a perplexed look on his face. Ray knew where she was going but his brain refused to admit it.

"I'm sorry, I've been snippy lately but I'm allowed to get frustrated too." Before he could stop the words he asked, "About what?" A nice pink tint covered her cheeks in reply and the slime gave a light bubble.

"Sorry, I'm not the best person for this sort of thing...I really have no idea..." Sam silenced him by wrapping her arms around him.

Ray's head was spinning, it was all going so quick but he had promised himself to make her the one and so far he had not made any real advances, it was time to make good on the promise he had made to himself.

"I get frustrated too. How could a woman like you want someone like me?" He had meant to say more but the breath of fruity shampoo he inhaled scrambled his thoughts.

"I do, Ray. Let me show you how much." With that her lips were on his. It was an awkward kiss at first, mostly because he had not been expecting it and also because he hadn't had practice in a long while.

At first their lips were mushed together but slowly he relaxed his mouth and began to feel the kiss. The slime was making small bubbles like crazy but both Sam and Ray had more important experiments on their mind now.

After the kiss began to loosen up so did the grip that he had on her. It went from a hug to an embrace, and then his hands were holding on to her hips. Sam worked her hands up and one was playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He began to lean into her, causing Sam to lose balance. The slight movement caused the kiss to break and Ray started to apologize. With a finger to his lips, Sam silenced him and jumped up on the counter. Grabbing Ray around the middle with her legs, Sam dragged him back to her. Without another word, Ray's lips were again on hers.

It felt so good to crush his weight into her and have her tighten the grip her legs had around his middle. He had kissed girls in his time, but it had been awhile since it had been with this much ferocity. How much was too much? But his thoughts were quickly lost, when he heard Sam moan. Let the rules be damned. They were both adults and she was certainly a woman who wasn't afraid to have her feelings known.

Ray finally opened his mouth to hers and allowed her tongue to trace the outline of his lips. A shiver of pleasure ran down Ray's spine and he crushed his mouth back down to hers, but this time with his tongue gaining access to her mouth.

For how long it continued he had no idea. Soon it was a nibble of the ear here, a lift of the shirt there, and he didn't know how long he was going to last. When he finally caught view of the slime again it had bubbled out to a foot past its container and was dripping on the floor.

If he would have known making out would have provided the breakthrough he had needed, the problem with the slime would have gotten answered a lot quicker.

 


End file.
